Turkey\u2019s centenary
\nInterim PM praises the resolute grit and determination of Turkey\u2019s people
\nISLAMABAD
\nFelicitating Turkey on the occasion of completing its centenary, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar lauded the resolute grit and determination of the country\u2019s people on Sunday.
\nPM Kakar, extending his wishes to the Turkish nation on its 100th Republic Day, praised them for completing this major milestone, preserving their independence and inspiring freedom-loving people around the globe.
\nThe interim premier commended the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan\u2019s dynamic leadership under which the country\u2019s progressed to advancements, undergoing economic transformation. He also praised him for utilising the transformation to promote the mutually reinforcing goals of peace and prosperity, which, he said, received global recognition.
\nTaking to X, formerly Twitter, PM Kakar wrote: \u201cOn behalf of the government and people of Pakistan, I extend our warmest felicitations to the brotherly people of Turkiye on the auspicious occasion of the centenary of the Turkish Republic.\u201d
\nAs the Turkish Republic was first proclaimed by the Turkish Grand National Assembly, in Ankara on October 29, 1923, the prime minister further wrote, this momentous occasion also marked the culmination of the Turkish nation\u2019s heroic struggle for freedom, led by the charismatic Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, he added.
\n\u201cDuring the last one hundred years, Turkiye has made impressive strides across all walks of life,\u201d Kakar posted on X.
\nAs the Turkish Republic marks its centennial, we, in Pakistan, rejoice with our Turkish brothers and sisters on their innumerable accomplishments, he added.
\nPM Kakar highlighted Pakistan and Turkiye enjoy fraternal relations rooted in abiding ties of religion, culture and history.
\nThe prime minister went on to share Pakistan and Turkey\u2019s long-standing relations by highlighting a quote by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
\n\u201cThe Muslims of Pakistan entertain sentiments of affection and esteem for your country, and now Turkiye and Pakistan both as free, sovereign and independent countries, can strengthen their ties more and more for the good of both,\u201d Kakar wrote, quoting Jinnah.
\n\u201cIt is a matter of great satisfaction that our bilateral relations have continued to grow from strength to strength with every passing day. He said institutional mechanisms including the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) and the Strategic Economic Framework (SEF) had provided a leadership-driven, people-centric and future-oriented focus to steer bilateral partnership in areas such as defence, economy, health, education, agriculture, tourism and culture,\u201d he added.
\nThe premier mentioned that the unique aspect of the Pakistan-Turkiye relationship is that it beats in the hearts of two people.
\n\u201cWe have stood by each other in every trial and tribulation \u2014 from the devastating earthquake that hit Southern Turkiye in February 2023, to the massive floods in Pakistan, in 2010 and 2022, and the earthquake in 2005, the abounding solidarity and support expressed by the people of our two countries for their brethren in need, represents an unremitting tale of love and devotion unique in inter-state relations,\u201d Kakar stated.
\nThe Pakistani premier reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s abiding commitment to further cement the multidimensional strategic ties with Turkiye, especially in the economic domain.
\n\u201cWe have already taken concrete steps to this end including the signing of the Trade in Goods Agreement (TGA) and the Strategic Economic Framework (SEF), he said adding undoubtedly, robust economic partnership and strengthened connectivity will serve as important pillars to steer our bilateral relationship in the days and years ahead,\u201d he wrote on X.
\nKakar, in his message to the Turkish nation, said that the people of Pakistan pray for continued prosperity and progress of the Turkish nation during the second century of the great Turkish Republic.
\n\u201cMay the special relationship between our two nations continue to flourish in all times to come,\u201d the prime minister added.
\nCelebrations remain muted as Turkey mourns for Gaza
\nTurkey marks its centenary as a post-Ottoman republic today with somewhat muted celebrations held under the shadow of Israel\u2019s escalating war with Hamas resistance forces in Gaza.
\nPresident Erdogan will be front and centre of day-long events that both honour the secular republic\u2019s founder and play up the achievement of the Islamic-rooted party running Turkey since 2002.
\nErdogan and World War I-era military commander Mustafa Kemal Ataturk have become the seminal figures of the modern Turkish state.
\nAtaturk is lionised across Turkish society for driving out invading forces and building a brand new nation out of the fallen Ottoman Empire\u2019s ruins in the wake of World War I.
\nTurkey was formed as a Western-facing nation that stripped religion from its state institutions and tried to forge a modern new identity out of its myriad ethnic groups. It eventually became a proud member of the US-led NATO defence alliance and a beacon of democratic hopes in the Middle East.
\nBut Ataturk\u2019s social and geopolitical transformation of the overwhelmingly Muslim nation created divisions that weigh on Turkish politics to this day. Erdogan tapped into these as he led his conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) to power over the leftist Republican People\u2019s Party (CHP) formed by Ataturk.
\nHe has spent much of the past decade testing the limits of Turkey\u2019s secular traditions as well as its ties with the West.
\nThese competing forces will be on full display as Erdogan starts the day by paying respects to Ataturk \u2014 and ends it by overseeing celebrations of Turkey\u2019s more recent achievements while he was prime minister and president.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Turkey\u2019s centenary Interim PM praises the resolute grit and determination of Turkey\u2019s people ISLAMABAD Felicitating Turkey on the occasion of completing its centenary, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar lauded the resolute grit and determination of the country\u2019s people on Sunday. PM Kakar, extending his wishes to the Turkish nation on its 100th Republic Day, praised […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":364865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-364834","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n