Nawaz, Erdogan vow to defend Saudi Arabia

ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a phone call on Saturday evening to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for deliberations on the latest situation in the Middle East with reference to the Yemen crisis.
The two leaders held a conversation for three quarters of an hour. They discussed the situation in the region and agreed that both countries would accelerate efforts to resolve the situation through peaceful means.
Diplomatic sources told ‘The News’ that Prime Minister Nawaz and President Erdogan were in agreement that the rebels of Yemen were responsible for aggravating the situation and stressed that the Houthis didn’t have any right to overthrow a legitimate government in Yemen that had destabilised the country and the region.
They affirmed that any violation of the territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia would evoke a strong reaction from both the countries. The sources observed that for the first time the two countries had publicly acknowledged the severity of the situation as it could have serious implications for the region.
Pakistan and Turkey agreed to continue close coordination as it was their moral and international obligation to play a role in protecting the countries of the region from devastating instability.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is in touch with various important Muslim leaders in his effort to resolve the ME crisis.
It is likely that Pakistan would send a high-level delegation headed by Adviser to PM on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz to Saudi Arabia soon with a special message from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the Saudi leadership. The decision would be taken tomorrow (Monday) in high-level meeting here at the PM House
Meanwhile, Sartaj Aziz will have an important meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday (April 14) in Kabul where both will attend a trilateral meeting on Afghanistan. It is likely that they will also have detailed discussions on the Yemen crisis.