Qureshi begins two-day Turkey visit today

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will pay a two-day official visit to Turkey on Friday (today) on the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavusoglu, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the statement, Qureshi will have bilateral talks with the Turkish foreign minister during the visit. He will also participate in a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan.

During the bilateral talks, Qureshi and Çavusoglu will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and discuss preparations for the 7th Session of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), which will be held in Turkey this year. The two sides will also discuss the regional security situation.

In the trilateral meeting, Qureshi will discuss latest developments in the Afghan peace process, exchange views on achieving the shared objectives of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political process and highlight Pakistan’s valuable efforts towards this end.

The fraternal relations between Pakistan and Turkey are deeply embedded in common faith, culture and history and underpinned by exceptional mutual trust and respect.

Qureshi’s visit to Turkey is part of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries.

The Turkish foreign minister visited Pakistan in January, and Qureshi and Çavusoglu also met on 29th March on the sidelines of 9th session of Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process Ministerial Conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.