Pakistan, Turkey Back Iran’s Right to Self-Defense, Reaffirm Strong Ties

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Field Marshal Asim Munir.

President Erdogan met after the 51st Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.

The meeting was also attended by the Turkish Foreign Minister, the head of the National Intelligence Agency, Ibrahim Kalin, and the President’s Senior Advisor on Foreign Affairs and Security.

According to the Foreign Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s message of good wishes was conveyed to the Turkish president during the meeting.

The Foreign Office said that the meeting reaffirmed the commitment to further expand the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Turkey, and the leaders strongly condemned the Israeli attacks, calling them a clear violation of international law.

The Foreign Office says that Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are supported and its right to self-defense is recognized.

The two leaders agreed to continue diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions. Ishaq Dar and Tayyip Erdogan appealed to the international community to play an effective role for peace and stability in the Middle East and also stressed the need to immediately stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza and provide humanitarian aid.