Ahead of visit, Pakistan's president lauds Turkish democratic and economic achievements

Pakistan admires Turkey's democratic and economic achievements, and has always appreciated Turkey's positive role in resolving regional issues, said Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari ahead of a four-day official visit to Turkey this week. "The maturity of Turkish democracy and its economic achievements are greatly admired in Pakistan," Zardari said in an interview. "Turkey has emerged as a major power in the region. Being part of Asia and Europe, it serves as a bridge between East and West." Zardari also praised Turkey's initiative in recent years and acknowledged the role Turkey plays in international and regional forums. "We appreciate Turkey's positive role and initiatives for resolving regional issues. Turkey's stance in forums like the United Nations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), G-20, the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is indeed worth appreciation," he stated.