ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has said that the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Turkey were anchored in the hearts of the people of the two countries and both the nations enjoyed exemplary cordial ties rooted in shared social, cultural, and religious values.

The president expressed the hope that these mutually rewarding multi-dimensional relations would go from strength to strength in future as well. He made these remarks while talking to the outgoing Ambassador of Turkiye to Pakistan, Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, who called on him, at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Thursday.

The president observed that Turkiye and Pakistan, along with other Muslim-majority countries, advocated the need to counter Islamophobia on various fora, including the forum of OIC and the UN General Assembly, which finally bore fruit when the United Nations designated 15 March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

He said that Islamophobia was on the rise around the world, especially in India where all religious minorities, especially Muslims, were being coerced and intimidated; their homes and places of worship were destroyed, and their religious symbols and personalities were ridiculed and insulted with impunity.

The president expressed Pakistan’s gratitude for Turkiye’s steadfast support to Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute and appreciated Turkiye’s active role in the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. He said that both the countries held similar views on the issue of Cyprus, the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and the reconstitution of the United Nations.

The president also congratulated the outgoing ambassador on the successful completion of his tenure in Islamabad and appreciated his personal contribution in further strengthening Pakistan-Turkiye bilateral relations during his tenure.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022