Follow Us on Google News
ISTANBUL: The head of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan has asserted that Pakistan and Turkey are two countries but one nation as they “not only share common culture and faith but also have similar interests and challenges.”
The Air Chief expressed his view while addressing a meeting comprising board members of the Association of Justice Defenders and Strategic Studies Center (ASSAM) in Turkey.
Mujahid Anwar lauded Turkey’s support to Azerbaijan during the latter’s conflict with Armenia to liberate territories occupied for nearly 30 years. “Pakistan fully supports Turkey on Cyprus and other regional issues and also stands by Ankara in its war against terrorism,” he added.
Referring to the regional situation in South Asia, he pointed out that India had been persistently rejecting Pakistan’s repeated and visible peace gestures and continued to sponsor its proxies in Afghanistan to destabilise Pakistan.
“The ever-deteriorating situation in Kashmir and the plight of its people served as a big question mark for the global community,” he said, adding that it has been unfortunate to see economic interests taking precedence over moral and ethical values.
He also thanked the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the foreign minister, and the parliament speaker for their supportive statements on the issue of Kashmir at various international forums.
Expressing his views on the defence cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey, the Air Chief underscored the ever-increasing relationship between the two defence industries and termed the bilateral cooperation as “exemplary”.
He pointed out that military cooperation must be built on economic cooperation, adding that joint projects, exercises, production, training, and technology sharing are leading areas of cooperation between the two countries.