ISTANBUL: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his nation’s support during a brief military confrontation with India.
The Premier is visiting Turkiye for two days as part of his four-nation tour to friendly countries, where he will express his gratitude for supporting Pakistan during the recent conflict.
Earlier, state broadcaster PTV News reported that the PM and Erdogan had a delegation-level meeting in which Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar took part.
The meeting was “warm and most cordial” and both nations “reaffirmed the deep-rooted, historic, and brotherly ties between Pakistan and Türkiye, anchored in shared values, mutual respect, and a common vision for progress and prosperity”.
A video posted by the broadcaster showed PM Shehbaz embracing President Erdogan before boarding a car and leaving Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.
Taking to X, the PM wrote that he expressed gratitude to Erdogan for Turkiye’s support during the brief conflict with India earlier this month.
“[I] conveyed the sentiments of gratitude from the people of Pakistan to their Turkish brothers and sisters,” the prime minister wrote.
“We also reviewed the ongoing progress of our multifaceted bilateral engagements particularly in trade and investment and reaffirmed our resolve to reaffirmed our resolve to continue working closely to further strengthen these unshakable bonds of brotherhood and cooperation,” he added.
Earlier, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said that upon his arrival at the Istanbul Airport, the prime minister was received by Turkish Minister for National Defence Yasar Guler, Governor Istanbul Davut Gul, President of Pakistan-Turkiye Cultural Association Burhan Kayaturk, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkiye Yousaf Junaid, Consul General Istanbul Nouman Aslam, senior officials of the Turkish government and Pakistani diplomats posted in Turkiye.
Read more: Planning Minister Confirms Increase In Defence Budget For Security Reasons
