Turkiye | Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Istanbul on Friday for an official visit to Turkiye at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said a statement by the government. The premier, earlier today attended the funeral Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in a US-Israeli strike on February 28. After paying his respects, the prime minister departed for Istanbul. At Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, the premier was received by Turkish Minister of Trade Professor Dr Omer Bolat, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkiye Dr Yusuf Junaid, and officials from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pakistani embassy. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar are accompanying the prime minister. PM Shehbaz and President Erdogan are expected to hold detailed discussions on all aspects of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on enhancing cooperation in trade and investment, added the statement. The...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Iran and Turkiye from July 3 to July 5, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi confirmed on Thursday. Addressing a weekly briefing, Andrabi said that during his visit to Iran, the premier would participate in the funeral of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in US-Israeli strikes on February 28. The FO spokesperson said PM Shehbaz will travel to Iran first for Khamenei’s funeral. Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, cabinet members and senior officials will accompany the premier on his visit. “The prime minister will convey condolences on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan to the Iranian leadership and the bereaved families while reaffirming solidarity with the brotherly nation in their hour of profound grief,” he said. PM Shehbaz will then visit Istanbul at the invitation of Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Andrabi said. He added that the premier will “hold discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral re...

ISLAMABAD: As part of Pakistan’s efforts to help broker an end to the war in the Middle East, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will pay official visits to Iran and Turkiye from July 3 to 6, sources in the PM Office told Dawn on Monday. The US military said it carried out new strikes on early Sunday on multiple targets in Iran, in response to a fresh Iranian attack on a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran responded by launching strikes against US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait before both sides agreed to halt attacks. Sources said that during his visit, the prime minister will meet the leadership of both Iran and Turkiye and call on Tehran and Washington to exercise restraint, particularly following the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as part of the peace process. The strikes underscored the fragility of the Pakistan-brokered interim peace deal aimed at ending a war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, which disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and r...

Turkiye must be included in all of Europe’s defence and security structures, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, a week ahead of a key Nato summit in Ankara. His remarks come as Europe seeks to revamp its defences in light of the threat from Russia and the risk of a US pullback from Nato, as the military alliance gears up for a key summit in the Turkish capital on July 7-8. “Turkiye’s indispensable contributions to European security are sometimes overlooked,” Erdogan told parliamentary delegates from all 32 Nato member states in Istanbul, saying Turkiye wanted “to participate in all defence and security initiatives” on the continent. At issue is Turkiye’s access to the European Union’s 150-billion-euro ($176bn) Security Action for Europe (Safe) initiative, a scheme key to strengthening European defence capabilities. Although Turkiye is technically eligible to access the Safe initiative, it requires approval from all 27 EU members — something Greece has threatened to block. “We expect your support, ...

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt on Sunday welcomed the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran during a Regional Four (R-4) meeting in Cairo, emphasising the importance of achieving a “swift and successful” conclusion to the subsequent phase of negotiations. The meeting came the same day as Pakistan, along with c0-mediator Qatar, hosted delegations from the US and Iran in Switzerland for high-level technical talks ironing out the details of the MoU. On Friday, the FO had announced that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar would attend the fourth meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo on June 21 at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart. In a joint statement issued by the participating nations, shared by the Foreign Office on X, the R-4 meet which convened in Cairo on Sunday at the invitation of Egypt, welcomed the signing of the Islamabad MoU. The participating nations viewed the important development as a “constructive step towards de-es...

• Foreign Minister Fidan says platform may include Pakistan, Turkiye, S. Arabia, Egypt, Gulf states and potentially Iran • Gaza death toll nears 73,000 with seven more killings in a day TURKIYE’S Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, has said that Israel can join a cooperative “regional platform” if it recognises a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, according to an Al Jazeera report. “If that problem is solved, I think the security of Israel will be very much assisted by the regional countries, too,” he told Nikkei Asia. Fidan said this framework could include Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, other Gulf countries, and “when things come [back to] normal, maybe Iran should also be part of it”. “All the countries in the region should be committing to each other’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and security,” Fidan told Nikkei. These comments come as Turkiye is expected to host a pivotal Nato summit in July in Ankara. On Monday, Trump laid out his vision for expanding the Abraham Accords, a series of no...

Islamabad - Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, NI (M), HJ, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, during an official visit to the Republic of Turkiye, held high-level meetings with General Ziya Cemal Kad?oglu, Commander Turkish Air Force, Yasar Guler, Minister of National Defence, and Mr.

The Pakistan Air Force and the Turkiye Air Force reaffirmed their “growing strategic convergence” in defence, aerospace innovation and emerging technologies, the military’s media wing said on Friday. Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, during an official visit to Turkiye, held high-level meetings with Turkish Air Force Commander General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler, and Baykar Technologies Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Selçuk Bayraktar, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. During these engagements, ACM Sidhu reaffirmed “the growing strategic convergence and shared commitment of both nations towards enhanced collaboration in defence, aerospace innovation and emerging technologies”. At the headquarters of the Turkish Air Force, the air chief was accorded a guard of honour. During the engagement, ACM Sidhu “discussed enhancing interoperability through joint exercises, training programmes, and professional exchanges”. “The Turkish air chief appreciate...

Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu has held a series of high-level engagements during his official visit to Turkiye, focusing on strengthening defence cooperation and expanding collaboration in aerospace and emerging technologies.

The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt exchanged views on “evolving regional dynamics,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a post on X on Saturday. According to the FO, the meeting took place on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye. It included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Turkiye Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty. In an effort to halt the US-Israeli war on Iran, the foreign ministers of the four countries had held two meetings ahead of the announcement of ceasefire, which is set to expire on April 22. The first meeting was held in Riyadh on the sidelines of a consultative ministerial meeting, while the second meeting was held in Islamabad. On Saturday, the FO said that the foreign ministers “exchanged views on evolving regional dynamics, reaffirming the vital role of dialogue and diplomacy in promoting peace, stability and shared prosperity”. ...

Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday accused Israel of using security as a pretext to acquire “more land”. “Israel is not after its own security. Israel is after more land. Security is being used by the Netanyahu government as an excuse to occupy more land,” Fidan told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking in English at a panel discussion, Fidan said Israel had created an “illusion” internationally by portraying itself as acting purely in its own defence. “It has become very clear, especially in recent years, that it is more than that,” he said. From Palestinian lands including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and now extending towards Lebanon and Syria, Israel was pursuing “an onward occupation and expansionism in the region,” Fidan said. “I think this has to stop,” the Turkish FM added. “Israel has to know that the only way to live peacefully in the region … is to let the other countries enjoy their own security, and territorial in...

After wrapping up visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday arrived in Turkiye’s Antalya on the third leg of his tri-nation tour, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The PMO later said that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, paid a courtesy call on PM Shehbaz, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi were also present at the meeting. “During their cordial conversation, Foreign Minister Fidan extended a warm welcome to PM Shehbaz and thanked him for his participation in the upcoming Antalya Diplomacy Forum. He said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was looking forward to his meeting with the PM on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum,” the PMO said. It added that PM Shehbaz thanked FM Fidan for the warm welcome and traditional hospitality. “He said it was a pleasure for him to visit Turkiye, his second home. He was looking forward to the opportunity to participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum and sa...

Crowds gathered for the funerals of eight children and a teacher in southern Turkiye on Thursday, who were killed when a 14-year-old opened fire at a school in a crime that has plunged the country in to shock and the community into grief. As family members and mourners flocked around coffins draped in the Turkish flag in the province of Kahramanmaras, people also placed roses on the steps of the school that was attacked, locals still reeling at what unfolded a day earlier when the teenaged attacker arrived at the building with five guns and opened fire. “We have a tremendous pain,” said Vezir Yucel, whose son played football in the same academy as 10-year-old Bayram Nabi Sisik, one of the students killed at school on Wednesday. “He was such a good kid, respectful and very hardworking,” he told AFP outside the mosque after the funerals. His 11-year-old son Yusuf – standing next to him, was shaking and crying. Authorities said nine people died in Wednesday’s attack — eight children aged 10 and 11 and their teac...

Turkiye cracked down on Thursday on social media posts praising two school shootings in two days, which have left the country reeling, ordering dozens of arrests ahead of funerals for the victims, who were mostly children. Authorities said 83 people had been detained, hundreds of accounts blocked and groups shut down after praise for the attacks — one on Tuesday, which wounded 16 people, and one on Wednesday, which killed nine and wounded 13. Eight of the dead were children aged 10 and 11, and their teacher, 55. The suspects in both cases were also killed, authorities have said. Tuesday’s attack, in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, saw an ex-student open fire at his former high school. Authorities said he took his own life when cornered by police. Wednesday’s was believed to have been carried out by a 14-year-old student who arrived at the school in the southern province of Kahramanmaras with five guns and opened fire. Authorities have said the student, the son of a former police officer, planned the a...

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday met with Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkiye, Musa Kulaklikaya, Assistant Foreign Minister of Egypt, Ambassador Nazih El Naggari, and Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Prince Dr Abdullah bin Khalid bin Saud Al-Kabeer.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif briefed President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday about his upcoming visits to Saudi Arabia and Turkiye “for further engagement to promote peace efforts” and took him into confidence on “all aspects of the dialogue” between Iran and the United States, a statement issued by the President’s Secretariat said. Pakistan hosted direct Iran-US talks in Islamabad over the weekend, marking the highest engagement between the two sides since 1979, seeking a resolution to the US-Israeli war on Iran. However, both delegations departed the capital on Sunday after the talks ended without an agreement, but also without a breakdown. It is now being reported that negotiating teams from the US and Iran could return to Islamabad later this week. On Monday, PM Shehbaz also told a meeting of the federal cabinet that “full efforts” were ongoing to resolve the conflict. The President Secretariat’s statement said PM Shehbaz called Zardari at the Aiwan-i-Sadr today, and the latter “appreciated the untiring ef...

An ex-student opened fire at his former high school in Turkiye on Tuesday, where school shootings are rare, wounding 16 people, including students, before killing himself, officials said. Special security forces were deployed to the school in southeastern Turkiye’s Sanliurfa province, where students were evacuated, the local governor, Hasan Sildak, told reporters. The former student, 19, used a rifle during the attack, after which those wounded were rushed to a hospital in the Siverek district, Sildak said. Twelve of the wounded were still in the hospital. Local media reported that most of the wounded were students. Television footage showed ambulances standing by outside the school as students fled the building in panic. “He took his own life when cornered by police,” the governor said. “We have evacuated the school and will carry out a thorough investigation into this tragic incident,” he added.

Israel “cannot live without an enemy” and its government is now trying to portray Turkiye as one, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday. “After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy,” Fidan said in a televised interview with Anadolu Agency. “We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration but also some figures in the opposition — though not all — are seeking to declare Turkiye the new enemy,” he said. “This is a new development in Israel… turning into a state strategy,” he added. Turkiye, a fierce critic of Israel, had joined diplomatic efforts with Pakistan and Egypt aimed at de-escalation during the US-Israeli war on Iran. Tensions between Turkiye and Israel have steadily escalated since the latter’s war on Gaza erupted following Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attacks. Netanyahu ‘described as the Hitler of our time’: Turkiye The dispute entered a new phase over the weekend after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned his US counterpart Donald Trump of “possible provocations and sabotage” that could je...

Islamabad - Pakistan and Turkiye have underscored the importance of further strengthening military cooperation between the two countries, with a particular focus on training and joint military exercises.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said the centuries-old brotherly relations between Pakistan and Turkiye are rapidly evolving into a comprehensive economic partnership.