The Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination (IPC) Ms. Fehmida Mirza visited Turkey to attend the 3rd International Ethnosport Forum in Antalya, Turkey.
On the sidelines of the Forum, she had a meeting with Mr. Ali Koch, President of the Fenerbahche Sports Club, Turkey's most popular sports club, based in Istanbul. Moreover, the Minister had separate meetings with Mr. Servet Yardimci, Mr. Kadir Kardash, and Mr. Ali Dushmez, the Vice President, the Secretary General, and the senior Executive Board Member of the Turkish Football Federation, respectively. Besides this, Minister also held a meeting with Mr. Izzet Renay Onur, the General Manager (Sports) in the Istanbul Metropolitan Corporation.
The meetings focused on the ways and means to enhance the cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey in the field of sports, especially Football, Basketball and Volleyball. The Minister said that with a population of around 210 Million having a major proportion of youth, Pakistan had a great potential to excel in sports. However, due to lack of proper infrastructure and sports facilities, our youth was lagging behind in the field of sports. The Minister stated that the Government of Pakistan was trying its level best to create enabling atmosphere for the youth to take part in sports and play their role in the uplift of nation's soft image in the international arena.
The hosts expressed their appreciation for the efforts of the Government of Pakistan for promotion of sports. They suggested that the sports being played in Pakistan currently could be diversified for the Pakistani youth. Mr. Ali Koch offered to send Football coaches to Pakistan to train Pakistani players. He added that an overall liberal, progressive, inclusive, and a. Gender-balanced atmosphere helped in the promotion of sports. The Turkey Football Federation (TFF) assured its support and cooperation to promote Football in Pakistan. The Minister apprised the hosts that Pakistan was manufacturing world's number I footballs, being used in international tournaments; and that the Turkish sports companies should visit our football manufacturing facilities with a view to invest in the sector for its further promotion.
The meetings were held in a cordial atmosphere, and the two sides agreed to further promote their bilateral interaction and linkages to give concrete shape to the suggested cooperation between the two brotherly countries. In this regard, it was also decided that a follow-up mechanism would be established which would over-see the implementation of the decisions taken by both the sides during their subsequent meetings.
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