Qureshi arrives in Turkey on two-day visit

ISTANBUL: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrived in Turkey on Friday on a two-day official visit on the invitation of his counterpart Mevlüt Çavusoglu.

According to the Foreign Office, Deputy Governor Istanbul Kamal Annan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey Syrus Qazi and senior officials of the embassy received the foreign minister at Istanbul airport.

During the visit, Qureshi will have bilateral talks with Çavusoglu. He will also participate in a trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan. His meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also expected.

During the bilateral talks, the two foreign ministers 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 with the foreign ministers of Turkey and Afghanistan, Qureshi will discuss the 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.

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

Turkish Foreign Minister Çavusoglu visited Pakistan in January this year and the two foreign ministers also met on 29th March on the sidelines of 9th session of Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process Ministerial Conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.