NA speaker lauds Turkish support on Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has said that the eternal bonds of friendship between Pakistan and Turkey transcend the boundaries of time and geography as these were deeply etched into the hearts and minds of the two people.

According a press release, he made these remarks during his meeting with his Turkish Counterpart Prof. Dr. Mustafa entop, the Speaker of Grand National Assembly of Turkey, here in Doha Qatar, where the two heads of the Parliaments are present to attend the 140th General Assembly of the Inter Parliamentary Union.

The two Speakers, both elected for the first time to lead their respective legislatures in recent times, met warmly, reaffirming strong cooperation between their parliaments. Speaker Asad Qaiser paid rich tributes to the leadership and vision of Turk President Recep Tayyip Erdo an. He said that owing to the bold stances taken by the Turkish President over the plight of Muslims anywhere in the world, the Turkish President was very popular with the people of Pakistan.

The Turkish Speaker expressed Turkey’s continued support for the struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right of self-determination in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations.

Responding to these remarks, Speaker Asad Qaiser thanked the Turkish side and especially referred to the continued support of the Turkish President for the Kashmiri people. He also acknowledged Turkey’s support during the recent escalation of tensions in South Asia. The Turkish Speaker praised the acumen of Pakistani leadership in averting the crisis between India and Pakistan. He especially mentioned the release of the captured Indian pilot.

Speaker Asad Qaiser referred to the Turkish President’s condemnation of the unilateral decision of the US to recognize Golan Heights as part of Israel and its recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital. He said that by doing so, Turkey had reflected the true feelings of the Muslim Ummah. He stressed that the salvation of Muslims countries lied in choosing reformist and pro-people leaderships. The success of parties like the Turkish AKP Party and Tehreek–e-Insaaf bore testimony to it. Both sides agreed to expand mutual cooperation and engage other friendly countries of the Region to make a regional block.

The Turkish Speaker praised Pakistan for initiating the idea of “Five Nations Speakers’ Conference” and suggested to form a permanent secretariat of this important parliamentary forum.

The Speaker of Pakistan informed that Pakistan had already floated this idea and with Turkish support he hoped that important headway would be made in this direction. The Speaker of Turkey thanked Pakistan for its support against the Gülen Movement. He also recognized the fact that the largest friendship group in the National Assembly of Pakistan was with Turkey, which reflected the close association of people’s representatives in Pakistan with Turkey.