Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Islamabad on Thursday on a two-day trip aimed at strengthening bilateral strategic partnership and economic ties. He was received at the Nur Khan Airbase by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In his first official engagement of the visit, the Turkish leader held a meeting with President Arif Alvi, which was followed by dinner. President Erdogan and Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan were received by President Alvi and his wife Samina Alvi as they arrived at the Aiwan-i-Sadr.
During their wide-ranging talks, President Alvi extended a warm welcome to President Erdogan and expressed satisfaction over the level of multifaceted engagement between Pakistan and Turkey, according to a series of tweets by President Alvi’s office.
He said that the 6th session of the Pakistan-Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation Council will further strengthen and broaden relations between the two countries.
President Alvi apprised his Turkish counterpart of the “worsening human rights situation” in Indian-occupied Jammu & Kashmir and thanked President Erdogan for his “principled stand” on the issue of Kashmir, the tweets said.
The two presidents also exchanged views on regional and international issues, with President Alvi highlighting Pakistan’s efforts for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. He stressed that the world community should extend its help in Afghanistan’s post-conflict reconstruction.
President Alvi and Erdogan also agreed that Pakistan and Turkey “must continue to work closely to counter challenges facing the Ummah, including Islamophobia”, the former’s office said.
