ISLAMABAD, 22 February 2019: Foreign Minister of Pakistan Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi called his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu today to thank him for Turkey’s steadfast support to Pakistan on a range of issues. This support reflected the commitment of Pakistan and Turkey to stand by each other.
Briefing the Turkish Foreign Minister on the situation after the Pulwama incident, the Foreign Minister stated that Pakistan had asked India to share any actionable information it had enabling Pakistan to help in the investigation. Foreign Minister Qureshi appreciated Turkey’s understanding of Pakistan’s position on different issues and its continued support. He shared that excellent relations between the two brotherly countries had been further reinforced after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Turkey on 03-04 January 2019. During the visit the two sides had agreed to transform Pakistan-Turkey relations into a new enhanced strategic partnership.
Expressing complete understanding of Pakistan’s position, the Turkish Foreign Minister conveyed that Turkey rejected the accusations against Pakistan in the Pulwama attack. He also underscored the need for dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues. He stated that the issue of Kashmir needed to be resolved through dialogue and in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.
The Turkish Foreign Minister also conveyed that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Pakistan after the local elections in Turkey.