ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara on Friday and briefed him on recent developments in peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.

The foreign minister, who is accompanying Prime Minister Imran Khan on his two-day official visit to Turkey, also apprised Turkish foreign minister about Pakistan’s outreach efforts to most important neighbours and regional countries in recent weeks, including Afghanistan, Iran, China, Russia and Qatar, a foreign office statement said.

The Turkish foreign minister was among the first dignitaries who had visited Islamabad in September, soon after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government took over.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said the desire to support and facilitate an inclusive Afghan-owned and Afghan-led process had emerged as a notable convergence and shared objective of all, particularly Afghanistan’s neighbours, who had serious stakes in an amicable resolution of the four-decade old conflict.

The Turkish foreign minister said Pakistan and Turkey, as close partners, would continue their efforts to promote synergies on important issues.

The foreign minister appreciated Turkey’s key role in strengthening the regional cooperation on Afghanistan through the Heart of Asia Istanbul process.

Both sides expressed satisfaction on the trajectory of bilateral relations, symbolised by unprecedented traditional warmth and affection at the people’s level.

This has guided the relationship towards a consistent, harmonious and coordinated approach on various regional and international issues.

Both sides believed that Pakistan and Turkey, located at strategic locations, among important regions, faced similar challenges and had a lot to share and benefit from each other’s experiences.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2019