ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and reviewed their close bilateral relations.
They discussed steps to further enhance cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey in all areas. They also exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan as well as other regional and global issues.
Qureshi thanked Foreign Minister Cavusoglu for the support extended by the government and people of Turkey to the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination, especially by President Erdogan including in his address to the UNGA session this year.
The foreign minister highlighted the need for sustained international engagement to support lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. In addition to calling for the urgent provision of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, the foreign minister underscored the need for a coordinated approach to avert an economic collapse in Afghanistan. He also highlighted that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan will contribute towards the promotion of connectivity and regional prosperity.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called for a solution to the decades-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan on the basis of the United Nations resolutions.
Addressing the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), he said in a wide-ranging speech to the 193-member assembly: “We maintain our stance in favour of solving the ongoing problem in Kashmir for 74 years, through dialogue between the parties and within the framework of relevant United Nations resolutions.”
President Erdogan has consistently raised the Kashmir issue at the annual sessions of the UNGA. At the 75th session, the Turkish leader had said: “The Kashmir conflict, which is also key to the stability and peace in South Asia, is still a burning issue. Steps taken following the abolition of the special status of [occupied] Jammu and Kashmir further complicated the problem.”
His espousal of the Kashmir cause has evoked strong protests from India, which claims that Jammu and Kashmir is its “internal matter”. Pakistan has stressed that Kashmir issue should be resolved under UN resolutions.
