Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that Turkey, in collaboration with the Pakistani government, is working out a solution to protect the students of Pak-Turk schools in Pakistan, and added that no decision will be made that adversely affected their academic career.

“Had both Turkey and Pakistan not been sensitive to students and their families, these schools would have been closed since December 2013,” the Turkish foreign minister said during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when questioned about the fate of Gulen-sponsored schools in Pakistan.

Turkey had declared Fethullah Gulen’s organisation as a terrorist entity following the July 15 unsuccessful coup. Flanked by Adviser to the PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, the Turkish foreign minister expressed satisfaction that Pakistan was fully cooperating over the issue of Pak-Turk schools.

However, Cavusoglu pointed out that there was a need to be “very careful” of the activities of these organisations, which “could pose a threat to the security and stability of the host country”.

Sartaj said, “We are going to protect the schools and students of Pak-Turk schools as these institutions are being professionally managed and providing good education.”

He said that efforts were afoot to find out an arrangement for Pak-Turk schools to continue their working in Pakistan.

On the Kashmir issue, the Turkish foreign minister said that Turkey was fully supportive of Pakistan’s stance on Jammu and Kashmir, and believed that the issue could be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, and not with war. He asked the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) secretary general to mobilise Contact Group on Kashmir and send a fact-finding mission to the occupied territory to assess the situation. He also said that there was a dire need to end violence in Kashmir.

Sartaj Aziz and Cavusoglu earlier held one-on-one and delegation-level meetings, and said their interaction focused on exchange of in-depth views on bilateral relations.

Aziz said that signing of a free trade agreement with Turkey was expected in the next few weeks, which would prove to be a milestone. He said the need for lasting political solution in Afghanistan also came under discussion. He said Pakistan and Turkey were host to the largest refugee population in the world and expressed hope that the international community would be mindful of the burden.

The adviser expressed Pakistan’s unequivocal support to the dynamic leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and congratulated the visiting delegate on the successful defeat of the military coup in his country. He mentioned that Turkish people coming out in streets in support of democracy was a sight to behold.

Cavusoglu said Pakistan was the first country he was visiting after the coup attempt in Turkey, and acknowledged the support of the Pakistani nation and government for their solidarity in this hour.

He expressed gratitude to both Houses of Pakistani parliament for adopting a unanimous resolution in favour of democracy in Turkey. He said that Turkey was taking all necessary measures against the perpetrators of coup. He dismissed the impression that Turkey would slide into a state of chaos following the state of emergency, adding that it was not meant to target public but the state structure to ensure stability in the country.

The Turkish foreign minister said Pakistan was a second home to Turkish people and the two nations reciprocated feelings of affinity for each other.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey fully supports Pakistan’s war against terrorism. “Turkey also supports the efforts of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) for bring peace back to Afghanistan.”

He told the press conference that during the meeting he briefed Sartaj Aziz on how Turkey was normalising its relations with Russia and Israel. Earlier, during their meeting, both the leaders expressed satisfaction over the ever-growing cooperation between the two countries and agreed on the need for sustained engagement for enhanced cooperation in diverse spheres.