Bismillah-ir-Raman-ir-Rahim
(In the name of ALLAH, the most gracious and the most merciful)
Esteemed Mr. Speaker,
Honourable members of the Pakistan National Assembly and Senate,
Ladies and gentlemen.
I greet you with the best of greetings, love and respect.
Esselamu Aleyküm Ve Rahmetüllahu and Berekatuhu
(May the Peace, Mercy and Blessing of ALLAH be upon you)
I transmit from here to all my brothers and sisters my love and respect through you, dear representatives of the people of Pakistan.
I am very pleased to deliver a speech to you on the occasion of my official visit to Pakistan.
Today, I convey my gratitude and praise to Mevla, who brought us together and unites our hearts in such a magnificent environment of brotherhood.
I would like to thank each of you separately for giving me the opportunity to deliver a speech during this session.
At the onset of my speech, I would like to convey the greetings of each of your eighty-three million brothers and sisters and the members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the representatives of the national will.
I express my gratitude to all of my brothers and sisters and Pakistani authorities who embraced us with enthusiasm for their hospitality and sincerity since we set foot in Islamabad.
Here, in Pakistan, we never consider ourselves as strangers.
We feel ourselves at home, in the one of the most important meeting points in Asia, in the fertile geography of the Islamic world.
Fraternal ties between Turkey and Pakistan have been granted to very few countries and nations of the world.
The much envied Turkey-Pakistan brotherhood today, is a true brotherhood, strengthened by history and reinforced by historical events.
Since Mahmud of Ghazni, the founder of the Ghaznavid State, Turks have become part of the wide geography we are in now.
Baburids, originated from Chagatai Turks, has ruled a significant part of the region, including today’s Pakistan, for about three hundred and fifty years and has left deep traces in our common history.
Two of the sixteen stars in our Presidential Seal representing the states we established throughout the history are Baburids and Ghaznavids.
Personalities like Poet Mirza Esedullah Han Galib, one of the poles of Urdu literature, Jowhar brothers, pioneers of the Caliphate Movement, Abdur Rehman Peshawri who came to help the Ottoman army during the Balkan Wars, are just a few of the golden rings of our common history.
Turkey-Pakistan relations, has come to today’s level with the precious heritages of the Great poet Muhammad Iqbal and Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
In 1915, while the Turkish military defended the Dardanelles Strait with a glorious resistance, the rally held in these lands, six thousand kilometres away from the front, was recorded on the unforgettable pages of history.
The theme of this historical rally in Lahore square was Gallipoli.
The organizers of the rally aimed to help the Turkish Nation fighting in Gallipoli and to recruit volunteers.
Lahore Square was packed by Muslims that day.
While we were fighting to survive, our brothers and sisters here were under the pressure of the Colonial Powers of that period.
Despite all the pressures and threats, an immense amount of aid was collected for Gallipoli in the exhibitions opened in the square.
Pakistani women gave bracelets in their arms, earrings in their ears away, Pakistani fathers gave the money away they saved for rainy days
Dear brothers and sisters.
One of those who addressed to those who gathered in Lahore square that day was the great poet Muhammad İqbal.
Muhammed İqbal, in a great shame, tells a dream that he had a few days ago on that podium.
Iqbal, who saw our Prophet in his dream, conveys his feeling in his following verses:
Prophet MOHAMMED (PBUH) told
“You’ve approached me from the garden of world like an odour
Tell me what have you me brought as a gift?
I said: Oh! MUHAMMED (PBUH), no comfort in the world
I’ve given up on all my hopes
There are thousands of tulips and roses in the garden of Eden
But have no colour no odour.
They are all fickle, though
I have just brought one thing
Which was blessed by takbirs
A vial of blood, that can found nowhere
Its the honor, the heart
Here, this the blood of Gallipoli martyrs…”
Well Hundreds of thousands gathering at the square in Lahore, like the poet himself, burst into tears after those emotional words.
We have never forgotten and will not forget the help, which the Pakistani people delivered, during our War of Independence by piling up their own bread.
We have not forgotten and will never forget Şevket Ali brothers and Chaudhrys, who sacrificed their lives by participating in their brothers’ struggle for independence.
We have not forgotten and will never forget that all of our brothers from Hyderabad to Islamabad prayed by kneeling down on their prayer rugs for the independence and the future of Turkey.
We will not forget our true hearted brothers and sisters, who have not left the Turkish Nation alone despite all kinds of pressure, threat and poverty.
I hope that we will preserve the eternal brotherhood between Pakistan and us forever.
Because our brotherhood originates not from the blood tie but from the tie of affection.
Our friendship derives not from benefit, but from love.
We consider the pain of Pakistan as our pain, their joy as our joy and their success as our own success.
With this understanding, we immediately rushed to the help of our brothers with every means available during the flood and earthquake disasters that Pakistan has experienced in recent years.
We felt the prayers of the people of Pakistan with us after the treacherous coup attempt of July 15th, when two hundred and fifty one people were martyred.
Pakistani authorities displayed that they are a true friend of our nation by transferring the schools belonging to FETO to Turkish Maarif Foundation.
We received a very strong support from the State of Pakistan and its people to the Peace Spring Operation, which we launched in the north of Syria in October.
While those who adopt democracy and human rights only in words mobilize to save the terrorists, Pakistan has taken place right next to Turkey during its legitimate fight.
Likewise, following the Elazığ-Malatya earthquake, we received solidarity messages from all Pakistan, from the Head of State to the citizens on the streets.
I once more thank my Pakistani brothers who stood by Turkey in bad times and in good times on behalf of my country and my nation.
I wish my God render the solidarity between us everlasting and consistent.
I also would like our Pakistani brothers to confide in Turkey’s and Turkish nation’s friendship.
We will continue to stand by Pakistan in the future, as in the past.
In this context, I would like to emphasize that we will support Pakistan, which is intended to be put under political pressure at the Financial Action Task Force meetings which is a current issue.
Mr. Speaker,
Distinguished Parliamentarians,
Pakistan continues to make progress on the road to development and prosperity.
Undoubtedly, economic development is not an incident that will occur from today to tomorrow.
With this aim, it is required to work hard, act in a planned way and behave with determination, faith and self-confidence.
For development, stability and trust are two indispensable conditions.
I believe that the endeavours exerted by Pakistan in cooperation with the legislative, executive, judicial and military institutions will bear fruit in a short time.
The steps based on improving the business and investment environment render Pakistan a more attractive country in the eyes of investors.
I came here with a large group of businessmen from different sectors.
After the Friday prayer, I hope we will meet with our investors at the Turkey-Pakistan Business Forum.
Thus, we will once again confirm our confidence in Pakistan’s prosperous future and economy.
We reached an agreement on deepening our relations during H.E. Prime Minister’s visit to Turkey and we gave instructions accordingly to our colleagues.
The “Strategic Economic Framework” and “Action Plan” documents that we are going to sign today will be our road map in a wide scope ranging from trade to infrastructure, from investments to tourism.
Moreover, today we will hold the 6th meeting of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council that was established between the two countries in 2009.
We will carry our economic relations to the deserved level by joining hands with 210 million people in Pakistan and 83 million people in Turkey.
On the other hand, we follow up the efforts that Pakistan exerts in fighting against terrorism with appreciation.
Pakistan has much suffered from the instabilities in the region, terrorism and the conflicts.
As a country combatting against separatist terrorism for thirty-five years and being at the target of the most violent organisations of the world from DAESH, PKK to FETO, we very well understand the challenges that Pakistan encounters.
We will continue to support Pakistan in its fight against terrorism.
As the Islamic world, we are struggling with serious problems from terrorism to conflicts, sectarianism to hunger and poverty.
Pakistan and Turkey are the primary countries which are mostly affected from these crises due to their geographical positions.
The brotherhood law in Islam requires sharing agitations and being involved in them besides supporting the fellow believers.
Our God utters this reality in Surah Al-Hujurat by saying “Innamal Moo’Mina Ihvatun”, “The believers are only brothers and sisters”.
As a member of the Ummah, we assume the responsibility of billions of our brothers and sisters as well together with our own responsibility and also our families’ and neighbours’.
Short term interests, daily reckonings cannot hinder our everlasting and eternal brotherhood
Sectarian, denominational, tribal and linguistic differences cannot exceed our global brotherhood.
Physical borders and distances cannot draw line between Muslim hearts.
It is our duty to be troubled by the trouble of our Muslim brother and to stand by the persecuted ones no matter where they are all over the world.
Because, according to our belief, giving consent for persecution is persecution itself no matter from whom it comes.
With this understanding, Turkey endeavours to eliminate the differences between the Ummah, to find a solution to the disputes and to claim our righteous causes, especially Palestine, Cyprus and Kashmir.
We are home to nearly four million refugees who have fled from conflicts and the regime’s persecution in Syria.
We spent over forty billion dollars for the Syrian oppressed, while the countries, whose financial means are many times more than us, left them to their fate.
The aim of the steps we have taken recently regarding Idlib is to prevent three and a half million oppressed people from dying under the barrel bombs of the regime.
The primary goal of Turkey in the conflict areas from Libya to Yemen is to stop blood, destruction and tears.
We have been actively engaged in all matters concerning the Muslim Ummah especially during our Presidency of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
We took an honourable and determined stance against the attacks of Israel on our first Qibla, Al-Quds Al-Sharif.
We declared to the whole world that we would not leave Haram Al-Sharif at the mercy of the occupying Israeli administration by saying “Jerusalem is our red line”.
Again, we had the strongest reaction against the occupation, annexation and destruction plan announced by the American administration in the past weeks under the name of the “deal of the century”.
We once again demonstrated our country’s sensitivity in this matter by defending Kashmir at the 74th United Nations General Assembly.
We see that the problems that our brothers in Kashmir have been suffering for decades have become more severe with unilateral steps taken recently.
This approach, which aggravates the current situation and revokes the freedom and vested rights of the Kashmiri people, does not bring any benefit for anyone.
The Kashmir problem can be solved only on a just and equitable basis rather than through conflict and oppression.
Such a solution will serve for the benefits of all parties.
Turkey will continue to stand on the side of justice, peace and solution through dialog concerning the Kashmir dispute.
On this occasion, I would like to underline, in particular, that we appreciate Pakistan’s positive contribution to Afghanistan’s peace process.
Turkey provides support, as necessary, during this process to Pakistan and Afghanistan, who are both brotherly countries for us.
I would like to finalize my speech with the following glorious verses by Poet Ebuleser Hafız.
“You, Oh sacred country, be blessed,
You, Oh lovely land, be glad
You, Oh great, glorious sign of ambition
Land of Pakistan,
Heart of our faith,
Be happy.”
I would like thank you for your affection and patience.
May Allah be with us.
May Allah protect you.
I extend my heartfelt farewell to all of you.
