Attending a meeting of the India-Turkey Business Forum, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke on the need to boost bilateral ties between the two countries. As Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived in India on a state visit, looked on, Modi said the level of present economic and commercial relations was not enough as there was potential for much more, ANI reported.

The prime minister said hydrocarbon sector was a common area of interest for both countries, as were solar and wind energy. “As we strive to build stronger political ties, the time has come to also make more aggressive effort to deepen the economic relations,” Modi said. “Today’s knowledge-based global economy is continuously opening new areas. We must factor this in our economic and commercial interactions.”

“Indian economy is the fastest growing major economy. Apart from maintaining this pace, our focus is to remove inefficiencies from the system,” he sad. “I would also urge the Chambers of Commerce & Industry of both sides to engage with each other pro-actively.”

Erdogan, who arrived in India on Sunday, first received a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, following which he visited the Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. This is his first foreign visit since winning a controversial referendum on April 16 that further consolidated his executive powers. The Turkish president was accompanied by senior cabinet ministers and a 150-member business delegation that also took part in the India-Turkey Business Forum meeting.

Erdogan on Sunday said the India-Pakistan dispute on Jammu and Kashmir could be resolved through “multilateral talks” involving his country’s participation. “We should not allow more casualties to occur, and by strengthening multilateral dialogue – we can be involved – and through multilateral dialogue, I think we have to seek out ways to settle this question once and for all, which will benefit both countries,” he said in an interview to a news channel.