Defense minister meets Pakistani envoy amid South Asia tensions

ANKARA

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler met Pakistan’s Ambassador to Ankara Yusuf Cüneyd amid an escalation between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, the Turkish Defense Ministry has announced.

In a social media post on May 9, the ministry said Güler received the ambassador of Pakistan, a friendly and brotherly nation, in his office and posted a picture of the call between the two officials.

It did not provide further information about the content of the meeting.

The visit by the Pakistani envoy comes as tension between Islamabad and New Delhi continues to escalate following the latter’s missile attacks against Pakistan-administered Kashmir that killed scores of civilians.

Pakistan said it downed five warfighters and dozens of drones from India in the past two days. The tension started after India accused Pakistan of supporting terrorist groups that killed 26 tourists in an attack in late April.

Türkiye condemned India’s attacks against Pakistan as provocative and warned of an all-out war between the two nuclear powers. It also called for restraint and a peaceful resolution of the problem.

“We are concerned that the tension between Pakistan and India would escalate into a hot conflict, with missile attacks resulting in many civilian casualties,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at a press conference with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on late May 8.

Recalling his phone conversation with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Erdoğan hailed İslamabad’s proposal for an international investigation into the terror attack in India-administered Kashmir.

“We are making efforts to open dialogue channels and alleviate tensions before the situation reaches a point of no return, despite the fact that some are adding fuel to the fire,” the president said.