ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday lauded Pakistan’s stance and efforts to highlight the plight of oppressed Palestinians at the international level.

The Turkish president expressed these views as Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called on him here at the Presidential Palace. During the meeting, issues related to bilateral relations and the situation in Palestine were discussed.

President Erdogan said Turkey would host the 7th meeting of Pak-Turk High Level Strategic Cooperation Council to discuss cooperation in diverse fields.

FM Qureshi conveyed to President Erdogan a special message of goodwill from President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said the similarity in stance of the leadership of Pakistan and Turkey had strengthened relations between the two countries.

The foreign minister thanked the Turkish president for his strong and unwavering support for Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Palestine and Turkey left Ankara for New York on Wednesday to participate in the urgent meeting of the UN General Assembly to discuss the “grave deterioration” of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

Foreign Minister Qureshi, Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu and Palestinian FM Dr Riyad Al Maliki departed via a special flight of the Turkish government to jointly raise voice on the plight of Palestinians.

The UNGA session is in response to a request from the chairmen of the OIC Group at the UN and the Arab Group in a joint letter to the 193-member Assembly President Volkan Bozkir of Turkey.

The letter was signed by Niger’s Ambassador Abdou Abarry, who is chairman of the OIC Group, and Algeria’s Ambassador Sofiane Mimouni, who heads the Arab Group.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2021