ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: President Dr. Arif Alvi has said that the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Turkiye were anchored in the hearts of the people of the two Countries and both the nations enjoyed exemplary cordial ties rooted in shared social, cultural, and religious values.
Talking to the outgoing Ambassador of Turkiye to Pakistan Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakulat Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad, the president expressed the hope that these mutually rewarding multi-dimensional relations would go from strength to strength in the future as well.
صدر مملکت ڈاکٹر عارف علوی سے پاکستان میں ترکی کے سبکدوش ہونے والے سفیر احسان مصطفیٰ یرادکل کی الوداعی ملاقات
پاکستان اور ترکی کے برادرانہ تعلقات دونوں ممالک کے عوام کے دلوں میں بستے ہیں، صدر مملکت pic.twitter.com/XNnznCGP4m
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) June 23, 2022
The president observed that Turkiye and Pakistan, along with other Muslim Countries, advocated the need to counter Islamophobia on various fora, including the forum of OIC and the UN General Assembly, which finally bore fruit when the United Nations designated March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
Arif Alvi said that Islamophobia was on the rise around the world, especially in India where all religious minorities, especially 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 Arif Alvi expressed Pakistan’s gratitude for Turkiye’s steadfast support to Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute and appreciated Turkiye’s active role in the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.
The president said that both the countries held similar views on the issue of Cyprus, the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), 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.