Echoes of Erdogan's visit to Pakistan

The week President Erdogan visited Pakistan was crucial in terms of the results expected in the medium and long term after a 5-year hiatus. He visited Pakistan after Malaysia and Indonesia. Undoubtedly, the first two visits were also important from different perspectives but Pakistan’s visit stands out. I was in Islamabad immediately after the President’s visit and experienced its echoes.
What was being felt was beyond diplomacy and was the true manifestation of the strong bond between the two countries. It is a known fact that during Turkey's struggles, the support of the Muslim nations of the region for the War of Independence from 1919 onwards was phenomenal during the establishment of modern Turkey. Turkey's success in the War of Independence also inspired Pakistan to gain independence in 1947. The unconditional brotherhood bond countries displayed during the Second World War and the Cold War has grown stronger. This bond did not change according to either country's political balance or government. Regardless of the party in power in both countries, unity was always felt in the international political arena, especially among the peoples. During President Erdoğan’s term in power, the relations between the two countries were strengthened politically and economically, in addition to the existing military cooperation. Likewise, all the alternative circles I spoke to in Pakistan share this view.
Twenty-four agreements were signed during the visit regarding the military, trade, economy, health, technology, agriculture, and other areas. This is because Pakistan has recently solved most of its internal security problems, developed its economic policies, and taken positive and strong steps forward in cooperation with China in trade and technology. Moreover, in recent years, significant reform has been carried out in the energy sector in Pakistan, and this rapid progress within the country surprised me, too.

I first visited Pakistan in 2009. At that time, it was paying the price for the military operations carried out by NATO forces led by the USA in Afghanistan. Being neighbours with Afghanistan, the formation of a “terror” corridor on its borders and the attacks on the country’s borders had an immediate negative impact on the country’s prestige. Moreover, the US had announced to the world that Pakistan, which it called an indirect ally, was not a safe country. At that time, I was staying in Peshawar, close to the Afghan border, and the Swat Valley, the subject of Hollywood movies. It was a time when subgroups of the Taliban were kidnapping people and demanding ransom.
The US was also responding to the Taliban’s presence in Pakistan by conducting operations on the country’s soil. As a result, Pakistan paid a heavy price for what happened in its neighbor, both economically and militarily.

My last visit to the country was in 2021, after the US withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban took over Afghanistan. The group members, who had now established their government in Kabul, had begun to leave Pakistan. Asylum seekers and refugees were piling up on the border, but Swat was not the Swat of 2010. Pakistani special operations forces (PAK Army) had primarily cleared the area.

When I went to Islamabad last week, upon the invitation of a comprehensive organisation organised by the National Security University of Pakistan, I encountered a completely different Pakistan. Despite all the negativities it has experienced, it has rapidly renewed itself quickly, developed, largely eliminated security threats, is open to investments, and even contains many opportunities, where political and economic stability is quickly being built. A completely different Pakistan… The country, which Turkey has also encouraged investments in infrastructure, energy, and production, is of close interest to many countries, especially China and Russia. It is seen that security problems have been overcome mainly in different parts of the country, especially in Islamabad. The Kashmir and Lahore regions are full of new economic opportunities.

Therefore, the six agreement titles Turkey planned before going have resulted in 24 agreements. I can say that neither country has yet fully utilised its respective capacities, but the rapid development of the region and time allow this.
Russia has the most active and diverse arsenal of HWs in its inventory and is India's primary defence.

When I asked the head of the Pakistan Military Academy, Major General Iftikhar Hassan Chaudhary, about the point that the military cooperation has reached and whether the latest agreement satisfied them, he started his words by saying, “We are not strategic partners with Turkey”; “We focused on how we can develop each other as two countries that are closer than brothers, and yes, the latest agreements satisfied us a lot”.

We also visited the presidential residence as part of an event organised by the National Defense University of Pakistan. I had the chance to chat with President Asif Ali Zardari. He emphasised the cooperation and said, “It will be much better.”

Think tanks that have carried out meticulous and essential studies in this field continue their international studies on the country’s future security policies. The Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), established in 1999, is at the forefront. The institution is one of Pakistan's oldest, nonpartisan, semi-autonomous think tanks affiliated with the National Security Service (NSD). The institute's extensive research output has become a leading policy research and advocacy organisation. IPRI is also ranked 74th in the ‘Government-Linked Think Tanks’ category in the 2021.
Global Go-To Think Tank Index by the University of Pennsylvania’s Think Tank Civil Societies Program (TTCSP). It provides national security and policy-oriented advice to the Pakistani government and educates and informs the public. In this sense, they must act with a truly neutral principle.
I also visited the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) with great curiosity during my visit to Islamabad. I met with the Institute’s President, Dr. Raza Muhammad, and Asif Durrani, who served at the highest level in the United Nations and the Presidential Office and was ambassador to the US, UK, Afghanistan, and Iran for many years. They were also very interested in Turkey, as I was in Pakistan. We exchanged views on Turkish foreign policy, especially on Syria and Palestine.
I asked Ambassador Asif Durrani about the importance of the Turkish delegation, led by President Erdoğan, visiting Pakistan.

Benan Kepsutlu: What does this visit to Pakistan after 5 years mean to you?

Asif Durrani: Erdoğan's visit to Pakistan after 5 years was essential. On the other hand, our Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has visited Turkey twice in recent years, once after Turkey's coalition partner and once after the elections. As you know, there is a strategic partnership between Pakistan and Turkey. In addition, both countries are closely connected with their historical roots. For this reason, we are proud of our close relationship with Turkey and I think the bond between us is unique in the world. Our political discussions at the most recent meeting were excellent. On the other hand, the highlight of this meeting was that both countries focused more on mutual economic initiatives. Cooperation issues in the field of defense were also discussed. Thus, action was taken on previously discussed and agreed upon issues. In particular, agreements were reached on defense issues, drone technologies, helicopter and aircraft technologies, and talks were held regarding their transportation. Trade has also started to increase in recent years. Therefore, President Erdoğan's visit here was essential. The agreements were renewed, the two countries' relations were taken further by accelerating all processes, and the partnership deepened.
Benan Kepsutlu: Six agreements were planned to be signed, but 24 were signed. Many similar agreements were signed before. So, what is the difference between these agreements and the previous ones?
Asif Durrani: I think the implementation process of the signed agreements has now begun. When we look at agreements related to education, for example, thousands of Pakistani youth are now going to Turkey. They enjoy being in the academic and cultural environment there. After completing their education there, they return to Pakistan. There are currently many Turkish-speaking youth in Pakistan. This is a result of the close relations between the two communities. We have also made mutual progress in different business areas and commercial issues, and the process continues. Agreements for 3 to 5 years, aiming to reach 5 billion dollars, have been signed. I am confident that this method followed by both countries will be even better and develop further over time.
Benan Kepsutlu: What are your expectations from Turkey regarding your foreign policy? For example, Kashmir has been an ongoing issue between you and India for a long time. Have you asked for support from Turkey regarding Kashmir? Because Turkey also has good diplomatic relations with India.
Asif Durrani: Benan, Pakistan does not have to ask or expect anything from Turkey. Turkey is not obliged to accept our requests for assistance or support. This is such an ideological situation that countries are interested in the process before we even ask for anything. I think the process has started to work again. I think the political environment is suitable for talking about Kashmir. We are proud to have Turkey's support on this issue. Our relationship with Turkey is solid and we should be proud of that.
Benan Kepsutlu: We have seen the US and Pakistan act as allies in recent years. I would not call this an alliance in the complete sense. Pakistan also has powerful relations with China. What are your expectations for the future of Pakistan-US relations during Donald Trump's presidency?
Asif Durrani: If we were to interpret the US-Pakistan relations from the past to the present, rather than just the Trump presidency, we had a mechanical, temporary relationship with the US. They needed us in the past, we responded to their needs. Then they didn’t need us in Afghanistan. Before that, during the Cold War, they established an allied force against the Soviet Bloc. Turkey, Pakistan, Iran acted together in the middle. The problem is that the US did not want a permanent relationship with us. This is my personal opinion. When they needed us, they asked for help, then they left. The same thing happened on 9/11. They wanted to punish Afghanistan, then they needed us, they asked for help. We got closer to each other, then the American troops withdrew from Afghanistan. We had established a strategic relationship with them, but they kept us out of NATO allies. Immediately afterwards, the US and NATO allies advised against traveling to Pakistan and announced this. This was as bad as imposing sanctions on Pakistan. Frankly, this is what happened to us. As a result, our exports could not progress because doing business with Pakistan has become very expensive for countries worldwide. This is still the situation we are in now. When the Trump process started, Indian Prime Minister Modi made demands to the US. Trump promised Modi the F-35s. This aims to disrupt the balance in our talks in the region. We are concerned about this situation.
Durrani is confident that relations with Turkey will develop further in the future. He emphasises the importance of time in developing economic relations and the results of agreements. They draw attention to the fact that the country has been largely cleared of terrorism in this short period and to new investment opportunities.
In my next article, I will explain the country's military steps, the content of the comprehensive organisation of the Pakistan National Security University, and my notes on Afghanistan after the Taliban.