ANKARA: Prime Minister Imran Khan met on Friday Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, during his two-day official visit to Turkey.
The prime minister and Turkish president discussed various issues including bilateral relations, national and international matters.
Earlier, PM Imran addressed a delegation of Turkey-Pakistan Business Council of Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) in Ankara.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said his government’s primary concern is to lift people out of poverty and create wealth in the country.
He said that due to corruption the progress of the country slackened.
The premier reminded the audience about Pakistan being one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia in the 1960s. “However, we went wrong in the 1970s, because of our socialist mindset [during that time] which actually became a deterrent and [hindered] profit-making. Nationalisation took place. Some of our [big] industries were nationalised. We went backwards,” he lamented.
Prime Minister Imran said his government’s primary concern is to lift people out of poverty and create wealth in the country. Citing China’s example, he said there was no other country that had lifted 700 million people out of poverty in 30 years.
“They [China] allowed wealth creation and they had specific programmes to achieve it,” he noted.
“Our government has a policy. We feel that wealth creation is going to take Pakistan out of economic crisis, to erase poverty,” the premier added.
Earlier today, a delegation of Turkish investors in agri-based industry led by Turkish Minister for Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli called on Prime Minister Imran.
Prospects of collaboration in food processing, dairy sector and food chain management were discussed during the meeting.
The prime minister is on his first official visit to Turkey since assuming office, at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
