Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi on Thursday said the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Turkiye were anchored in the hearts of the people of the two countries.

The president, in a meeting with the outgoing Ambassador of Turkiye to Pakistan Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, said both the nations enjoyed exemplary cordial ties rooted in shared social, cultural, and religious values.

He expressed the hope that the mutually rewarding multi-dimensional relations would go from strength to strength in future as well. The president observed that Turkiye and Pakistan, along with other Muslim countries, advocated the need to counter Islamophobia on various fora, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the UN General Assembly, which finally bore fruit when the United Nations designated March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

He said Islamophobia was on the rise around the world, especially in India where all religious minorities, particularly 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.

President Alvi expressed Pakistan’s gratitude for Turkiye’s steadfast support to Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute and appreciated its active role in the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. He said 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.