ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has left for Turkiye to attend inauguration of his ‘Brother’ President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to Prime Minister’s Office, Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Mehmet Paçaci bid farewell to PM Shehbaz as he was leaving for his two-day trip. “Leaving for Turkiye at invitation of my brother, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend his inauguration ceremony,” tweeted premier before departing from Islamabad.

PM added that he will convey “Warmest greetings” to President Erdogan on behalf of government and people of Pakistan on election victory. “Fraternal ties between Pakistan and Turkiye are set to deepen further in line with our shared resolve and common destiny,” he said.  He said that both countries “Have yet to unlock potential of our multifaceted relationship and efforts are being made in that direction”.

Upcoming 7th Meeting of High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Islamabad will also “Provide right avenue to take momentum” of both countries’ “strategic partnership forward”, he added.

Last week, President Erdogan extended his two decades in power in elections, winning mandate to pursue increasingly authoritarian policies which polarised Turkiye and strengthened its position as regional military power.

Erdogan’s challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, called it "the most unfair election in years" but did not dispute the outcome. Official results showed Kilicdaroglu won 47.9% of the votes to Erdogan's 52.1%, pointing to a deeply divided nation. The election had been seen as one of the most consequential yet for Turkey, with the opposition believing it had a strong chance of unseating Erdogan and reversing his policies after his popularity was hit by a cost-of-living crisis. Instead, victory reinforced his image of invincibility, after he had already redrawn domestic, economic, security and foreign policy in the NATO member country of 85 million people.

Published in The Daily National Courier, June, 03 2023

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