"I hope India would not escalate arms race in the region. It has already increased its defence budget by 30 percent in the wake of Mumbai attacks", the President observed during a detailed interview with Turkish media.
He said that the nations in the region should focus on eradicating poverty and on humanitarian issues like environment etc. rather than having larger armies.
He was confident that Indian government would be ultimately engaged in constructive dialogue. "We are neighbours, we can't wish each other away".
The President was in the historic Turkish metropolis of Istanbul to attend two back-to-back summits—Trilateral conference among Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey (Monday) and Istanbul regional summit among Afghanistan and its six neighbours.
He lauded Turkey's role in facilitating dialogue among Afghanistan and its neighbours, hoping that the summit would help achieve the goal of peace and stability in that conflict-ridden country.
He also hoped economic ties with Turkey would touch a new high with the launch of cargo train service from Islamabad to Istanbul via US $ 20 billion upgradation project of the 6,500 kilometre rail track between the two cities.
He said the visit of Turkish President to Pakistan would further boost relations between them. "I look forward to the visit", he said.
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