Turkish foreign minister expresses support to Pakistan on Kashmir, says UN should resolve issue in peaceful manner

Islamabad: The UN should resolve the Kashmir issue in a peaceful manner and Turkey supports Pakistan’s efforts to find a peaceful solution, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday as he held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi here. During their talks, both sides agreed to enhance the bilateral economic and strategic cooperation. [caption id=“attachment_5040001” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “Turkey supported the view that the Kashmir issue should be resolved by the UN in a peaceful manner,” Cavusoglu said during a joint press conference with Qureshi in Islamabad. “The (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) group that has been formed over Kashmir in the UN, we will stand with Pakistan and try to make it successful,” the Turkish foreign minister said. Qureshi said that Turkey supported Pakistan’s effort for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue at the UN. “At the UN conference there will be a separate meeting on Kashmir on the side. It happens every year but it is different this time because a new UN report has come out which sheds light on Kashmir,” Qureshi said. Turkey has been backing Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2017 had advocated a multilateral dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue. India, however, asserted that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral matter between New Delhi and Islamabad. Cavusoglu said Pakistan and India suffered more than any other nation due to terrorism. Qureshi said that the Turkish foreign minister assured support for Pakistan at the Nuclear Suppliers Group. He said that the two sides also discussed the regional situation including in Afghanistan, Iran and Kashmir. The Turkish foreign minister also congratulated Qureshi and Prime Minister Imran Khan on forming the new government in Pakistan.