ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said that Turkey could not ignore the ongoing tension on the Line of Control (LoC) and the situation in Kashmir.
In a joint press conference along with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif following delegation-level talks in Islamabad, the Turkish president said that Kashmir dispute needed to be resolved through dialogue between Pakistan and India keeping in view the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the United Nations resolutions.
Erdogan said that Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) would continue to extend support to Pakistan on the matter.
Touching upon Afghan-Pakistan cooperation, he emphasized the need this was vital to fight the scourge of terrorism.
The Turkish president said that the trilateral mechanism between Turkey-Pakistan-Afghanistan initiated in 2007 had yielded positive results in strengthening the relations. He expressed the confidence that the cooperation between the three countries would be further improved and strengthened in the days ahead.
Tayyip Erdogan thanked Pakistan’s support in the wake of failed coup attempt in Turkey. He said he received phone calls from the top Pakistani leadership who expressed their support for democracy in the country and discussed what should be done together.
“We will never forget the sincerity and support extended by Pakistan for Turkish democracy,” Erdogan said.
The Turkish president also described his talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as very productive and said besides entire gamut of bilateral relations, we also discussed regional and international issues.
The president said that besides economy, trade and cultural relations, Pakistan and Turkey were also improving relations in defense, energy and other fields.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that Pakistan and Turkey had agreed that increased trade, investment and commercial cooperation must have been the nucleus of the robust economic relationship.
The prime minister said that the two sides had decided to complete the negotiation process for comprehensive bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by 2017 end.
Nawaz Sharif said that Pakistan and Turkey were indispensable partners and they would continue to work together closely to strengthen peace, security and development in the region and beyond.
Sharif said that he briefed the visiting dignitary about Pakistan’s continuing commitment to build a peaceful neighbourhood despite setback to our sincere efforts. He said that he also updated him about continuing grave human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir and the current state of Pakistan-India relations.
The Prime Minister thanked President Erdogan for promoting peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute and the active role Turkey had been playing in OIC Contact Group on Kashmir. He also expressed deep appreciation of Turkey for its strong support for Pakistan’s bid for membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Referring to the failed coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016, the prime minister said that the resolve and resilience with which Turkish people defeated the illegal assault on democracy was remarkable.
Nawaz Sharif said that the courage with which President Erdogan led the resistance effort from the front was decisive. He said that the entire Pakistani nation regardless of political affiliations was unanimous in expressing support and solidarity for Turkey’s elected government and democratic institutions.
The prime minister said that the people of Turkey wrote a new chapter in the annals of history and democracy.
