Pakistan expects Turkey to join CPEC soon

Gwadar Pro

Islamabad: Pakistan expects Turkey to soon join the gigantic China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) after formal positive signal from China, a senior Pakistani minister said.

Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal told Gwadar Pro on Monday night that Pakistan wanted Turkey to be an active part of the CPEC.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has floated a proposal to China to include Turkey in CPEC and we expect a positive response,” he maintained.

Iqbal mentioned that in principle, Pakistan and China were not against participation of any other country in CPEC.

“For regional countries we are even more wiling to welcome joint efforts. CPEC is a massive plan for the whole region and beyond,” he observed.

Recently, PM Shehbaz Sharif had proposed that the CPEC be turned into a “trilateral arrangement” between China, Pakistan and Turkey so that all three friendly nations could benefit from its potential.

Sharif made the remarks while addressing a launching ceremony at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works for the third MILGEM Corvette built by Turkey on May 20.

“Trade activities have the potential to increase manifold with the development of financial and industrial activities. The ongoing CPEC project is set to translate our desire to enhance regional connectivity and maximise trade with Gwadar at its focal point,” the PM had said.

He added: “I would like to avail this opportunity to propose that let this CPEC be a trilateral arrangement between China, Pakistan and Turkey and let us benefit from its wonderful potential to benefit our nations,”

The CPEC is more than US $ 60-billion project that Islamabad says will transform Pakistan by improving the country’s infrastructure, energy, industrialisation, socio-economic development needs and bring an improvement in livelihoods of the people.

The CPEC is a 3,000-km long route of infrastructure projects connecting China’s northwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the Gwadar Port in the western Pakistan province of Balochistan.

Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal underlined that inclusion of other countries, especially Turkey, in CPEC will bring a visible change in progress in the CPEC projects.