“Had the honor of meeting my dear brother President Reccep Tayipp Erdogan in Istanbul this evening. Thanked him for his resolute support to Pakistan in the recent Pakistan India standoff which resulted in Pakistan’s overwhelming victory Alhamdolillah! Conveyed the sentiments of gratitude from the people of Pakistan to their Turkish brothers and sisters,” said Sharif in a post on X.
“We also reviewed the ongoing progress of our multifaceted bilateral engagements particularly in trade and investment and reaffirmed our resolve to continue working closely to further strengthen these unshakable bonds of brotherhood and cooperation. Long live Pakistan Turkiye Friendship,” added Sharif in his statement.
Erdogan’s office said he told Sharif it was in the interest of Turkey and Pakistan to increase solidarity in education, intelligence sharing and technological support in the fight against terrorism.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and intelligence agency chief Ibrahim Kalin also attended the meeting.
Earlier in May, Erdogan expressed solidarity with Pakistan after India conducted Operation Sindoor in response to the deadly Pahalgam attack, that left 26 dead. Ankara also maintains cordial ties with India but after Erdogan’s expression of support for Pakistan, small Indian grocery shops and major online fashion retailers boycotted Turkish products. Recently, the Ministry of External Affairs said that it expects Turkey to strongly urge Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem it has harboured for decades.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has always supported Pakistan’s claims in Kashmir, reportedly supplied more than 350 drones and some military operatives to Pakistan during the conflict with India.