Turkey's PM visits flood-hit areas in Pakistan

[Omar1984]

Turkey's PM visits flood-hit areas in Pakistan

Erdogan said, "We should be hand in hand. We should work for a more powerful Pakistan and more powerful Turkey."


Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "I hope that Pakistani people would preserve unity and integrity. You should not allow those who aim at spoiling unity in Pakistan. You should exert efforts to establish a more powerful Pakistan."

Delivering a speech in flood-hit Multan region in Pakistan, Erdogan said that there were also some who aimed to spoil unity of Pakistan.

Addressing Pakistani people, Erdogan said, "We should be hand in hand. We should work for a more powerful Pakistan and more powerful Turkey."

Erdogan said there were also those who wanted to divide the Islamic world.

Turkey's prime minister said that it was natural for Turkey and Pakistan to help each other in hard times.

Erdogan said Pakistan had not left Turkey alone during its War of Independence and after Turkey was hit by a massive earthquake in 1999.

"It is natural for peoples of the two countries to help each other in such times as they love each other," Erdogan said in a ceremony in Pakistan.

During the ceremony, 1,600 large tents provided by Turkish Red Crescent after the flood disaster in Pakistan were distributed to flood victims.

Erdogan said Turkey wanted to see the needs of Pakistan, carry out infrastructural works and leave behind permanent projects in the region.

Turkey and Pakistan could cooperate in military, political, economic and commercial areas, Erdogan said.

Erdogan also said Turkey and Pakistan could make joint investments in transportation, energy, agriculture and construction.

Earlier, Turkish Environment & Forestry Minister Veysel Eroglu said that they would discuss with Pakistani officials construction of dams in Pakistan.

Eroglu is accompanying Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is paying a formal visit to Pakistan.

Eroglu told A.A that they would hold meetings with Pakistani officials and discuss construction of dams in the flood regions in Pakistan.

He added that officials from Turkey's Directorate General of State Hydraulic Works (DSI) would extend support to such projects.

Pakistan's worst-ever floods killed nearly two thousand people and left more than 18 million people homeless.

So far, Turkey has sent and 25 million USD of humanitarian aid to Pakistan.


Turkey's PM visits flood-hit areas in Pakistan [ WORLD BULLETIN- TURKEY NEWS, WORLD NEWS ]

 

[Omar1984]

Turkey to fully support Pakistan in rehabilitation

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan. — Photo by Reuters


ISLAMABAD: Turkey on Wednesday assured Pakistan of support in the rehabilitation and reconstruction in the flood affected areas of the country and hoped the international community would join in the colossal effort.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who specially flew into Pakistan last night to meet the flood affected people, following Pakistan’s worst ever natural calamity said the sorrows and joys of the people of Pakistan were felt equally by the people of Turkey.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appreciated Turkey's support to Pakistan in its hour of need and lauded the “exceptional gesture of solidarity” by the people and government of Turkey.

At a breakfast meeting with his Turkish counterpart at the PM House, Gilani was also appreciative of the visit of the wife of Turkish Prime Minister for visiting Pakistan to express solidarity with the flood victims.

He also thanked the “generous and substantial funds” of US $ 200 million; $ 126 million of which were donated by the Turkish business community and people for PM's fund for the flood affected.

Gilani commended Turkey as the first country for starting building of pre-fabricated home villages for the flood affected in Nowshera and 2000 more for 10,000 affected people in Muzaffargarh.

He expressed gratitude to the wife of Turkish PM for mobilising the international community for the flood victims.

Prime Minister Erdogan assured the Prime Minister that his government and people would steadfastly stand by their Pakistani brethren during the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Prime Minister Gilani said his government and people will never forget Turkey's exceptional support during and after the devastating floods and recalled that Turkey similarly stood by Pakistan in rehabilitation and reconstruction of earthquake affected areas in 2005.

The Prime Minister briefed his Turkish counterpart on the efforts for rehabilitation and recovery in the flood affected areas and apprised him about the establishment of the National Oversight Disaster Management Council (NODMC) under the auspices of the Council of Common Interest.

Gilani said the NODMC has been tasked to ensure that required resources for the onerous task of rehabilitation and reconstruction are collected and disbursed transparently, efficiently, effectively and equitably.

The Prime Minister said the economic impact of the floods was colossal and hoped the damage need and assessment report of World Bank and ADB would be finalised during the week. He said the cost of rehabilitation and long term reconstruction was expected to run into tens of billions of dollars.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan would be sharing its national strategy for rehabilitation and reconstruction with the development partners in the forthcoming meeting of the Pakistan Development Forum next month.

Gilani sought Turkey's support to its national efforts to rebuild lives and properties of its people and added that Pakistan was greatly encouraged by Turkey's offer for getting involved in reconstruction of infrastructure in Pakistan.

Gilani dilated on the cordial ties between the two countries rooted in centuries old bonds of history, culture and religion, and said his government was determined to build upon the existing excellent relations with Turkey on geo-economic advantages and take them to unprecedented level.

He said both countries should strive to raise level of trade to two billion US dollars by 2012 and said the Turkish government should encourage its private sector to collaborate closely with its Pakistani counterparts in key sectors like construction, infrastructure, engineering, energy, agriculture, telecommunications, mining and textile etc.

He urged the opening of branches of Turkish Banks in Pakistan to strengthen trade and investment ties, besides upgrading rail and road links between the two countries and running of fast cargo trains between Islamabad and Istanbul on a regular basis. He hoped both countries will engage with Iran for the early up-gradation of rail and road links to fast track this project.

Prime Minister Erdogan invited Prime Minister Gilani to visit Ankara next month to participate in the second High Level Cooperation Council Meeting to steer their unique partnership for expanded cooperation in multifaceted fields.

Erdogan agreed with Gilani that Pakistan alone cannot face the enormous challenge of rehabilitation and long term reconstruction of the devastation caused by massive floods.

He hoped international community would realise the magnitude of economic difficulties faced by Pakistan to meet this challenge. — APP



DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Turkey to fully support Pakistan in rehabilitation

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

i feel sorry for Erdogan, to have his picture so close to that of the crooked smiled 10% commission accepting walrus

 

[silent hill]

i have good respet for mr erdogan!!,

 

[LegionnairE]

I was expecting something like this since the first days of flood...

Still a nice gesture

 

[Omar1984]

Turkish PM tours parts of Pakistan devastated by floods

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan flanked by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, meets with people affected by the recent floods during his visit on Mehmood Kot area in the Punjab province on October 13, 2010. - AFP Photo


THATTA: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week toured parts of Pakistan devastated by floods, using the visit to attack Israel and polish his image as a champion of Muslim solidarity.

“My brothers, we share the same faith,” Erdogan told his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani and hundreds of his supporters in a tent near the town of Thatta, which had been evacuated as the waters of the Indus river rose earlier this year.

Erdogan travelled from Islamabad to Karachi with six ministers, flying by helicopter to see aid efforts including a village of 2,000 prefabricated houses built by the Turkish Red Crescent near Multan in eastern Punjab province.

“We love you and I believe you love us. Pakistan... did not abandon us in the 1999 earthquake” which killed some 20,000 people in northwestern Turkey, said Erdogan, who has headed an Islamist-rooted government since 2002.

During the visit, Erdogan – whose visit had been preceded by that of his wife – focused his messages on Muslim solidarity and on moderate Islam to beat the challenge of extremism.

“Islam is committed to peace, and we are believers of Islam. Those who follow the faith of Islam cannot kill people,” he said, citing a “common battle” against terrorism.

He also launched a fresh attack on Israel over the Jewish state's deadly raid against Gaza-bound aid ships on May 31, which killed nine Turkish activists.

“Israel must apologise to Turkey and pay compensation. If it does not, it will be doomed to remain isolated in the Middle East,” Erdogan said.

Ties between Turkey and Israel, who were once regional allies, have been in tatters since the raid.

The raid and Turkey's subsequent furious reaction has boosted Erdogan's popularity in the Arab and Muslim world, which had already been well established after his scathing condemnation of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip in late 2008.

Turkish flags have mushroomed in Gaza and Palestinian parents have named their children after the head of the Turkish government.

Turkey's Ambassador to Pakistan, Babur Hizlan, for his part, accused members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) of not doing enough for the estimated 20 million people affected by the floods in Pakistan.

“Within the OIC, countries are very helpful, but overall, it is not enough,” Hizlan told reporters.

Rauf Engin Soysal, UN special envoy to Pakistan, said only a third of the two billion dollars (1.4 billion euros) in aid requested by the UN had been covered so far.

Turkey has sent “at least 125 million dollars of aid, both by the government and non-governmental organisations,” said Soysal, who is Turkish.

“We installed 2,000 prefabricated houses near Multan, and a total of 3,000 will be built,” Omer Taslit, the head of the Turkish Red Crescent, said.

“We also helped Haiti, but with Pakistan, it is different for us because there is something sentimental. The Pakistanis have helped us in the past, and of course, Pakistan is a Muslim country. But anyway, our principle is tolerance,” he added. – AFP



DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Turkish PM tours parts of Pakistan devastated by floods

 

[silent hill]

zerdari nai mang raha 10% is se , 10% for receiving you at airport