President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on July 4 that Israel’s “war-addicted” government must not be allowed to plunge the region into bloodshed again.
“It is necessary not to allow the current war-addicted Israeli government to once again drown our geography in the smell of gunpowder and blood,” Erdoğan told a news conference in Istanbul, alongside Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
The Turkish president said Türkiye wants a climate in which all people in the region, regardless of their faith, can live in peace and security.
“No solution that does not draw strength from the will and contribution of regional countries can be permanent,” Erdoğan said. “We will continue working in solidarity with brotherly countries, particularly Pakistan, to strengthen peace, stability and prosperity in our region.”
Erdoğan said he was pleased to host Sharif and his delegation in Istanbul, and offered condolences over a deadly bus accident in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues, Erdoğan said.
“First of all, the whole world breathed a sigh of relief thanks to the calm ensured by the Islamabad Memorandum,” he said, referring to the interim deal between Iran and the U.S. mediated by Pakistan.
Erdoğan congratulated Sharif and the Pakistani people for their major role in achieving that outcome.
“We have especially supported, and continue to support, every step that will contribute to reducing tensions in our region and resolving problems through diplomacy,” he said.
Türkiye is closely following Israeli efforts to sabotage the agreement, he said, adding that Tel Aviv continues to target Lebanon and Syria.
Israeli forces, he said, are also continuing their “unlawful and inhumane” attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.
On bilateral ties, Erdoğan said Ankara and Islamabad continue to stand in solidarity in every field and discussed steps to further develop trade and investment relations.
“We reaffirmed our target of raising our trade volume to the previously set level of $5 billion,” he said.
Erdoğan said the trade ministries of the two countries are working on a planned special economic zone for Turkish businesspeople in Karachi, while talks are continuing on expanding the scope of the preferential trade agreement.
He said a business forum attended by Sharif earlier in the day would also contribute to relations in investment and trade.
“We also encourage our investors to operate more in Pakistan,” Erdoğan said, adding that defense industry cooperation, one of the key elements of economic ties, continues to advance with new projects.
Türkiye believes the projects being implemented step by step will further strengthen Pakistan, he said.
“We want to deepen our cooperation with Pakistan in energy, transportation, critical minerals and information technologies. Today, we once again confirmed our determination with the prime minister,” Erdoğan added.
