Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will start a four-day visit to Turkey Monday to discuss bilateral and regional issues, the Turkish prime minister’s office said.

Gilani and his counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, were to chair the first meeting of a “high-level cooperation council” set up last year and comprising several ministers from both sides, a statement said Sunday.

The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, an official from Erdogan’s press office said.

Gilani’s programme included also talks with President Abdullah Gul, a speech at the Turkish parliament and a meeting with Turkish business people in Istanbul.

Turkey has had traditionally close ties with Pakistan.

Since 2007 it has also hosted meetings between the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan in a bid to push them to overcome their differences and cooperate against Islamist extremists.