PM Imran meets Erdogan, reaffirms appreciation for support on Kashmir

Premier is attending the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva

Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has reiterated Islamabad’s appreciation for Ankara's support on the Kashmir dispute.

“The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s deep appreciation for Turkey’s steadfast support on the Jammu and Kashmir issue, including Turkey’s active role in the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir,” read a statement by PM’s Office on Tuesday.

Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI meets President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of First Global Refugee Forum in UN Geneva. #Pakistan #Turkey #UNRefugeeForum2019 #PMImranKhan pic.twitter.com/eWJUlIIJSj

— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) December 17, 2019

The premier met the Turkish leader in Geneva, where he’s attending the Global Refugee Forum.

In his UN General Assembly address in New York in September, Erdogan had said that the stability and prosperity of South Asia could not be separated from the IOK issue, which awaits a solution for 72 years.

“In order for the Kashmiri people to look at a safe future together with their Pakistani and Indian neighbours, it is imperative to solve the problem through dialogue and on the basis of justice and equity, but not through collision,” he had stressed.

The region was stripped of its special autonomous status in August, with an indefinite curfew imposed, telephone lines cut and internet shut.

The communiqué said that the two leaders held discussions on a range of subjects.

PM Imran, it added, underlined the importance of the 6th Session of High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council to be co-chaired by the two leader early next year in Islamabad.

He lauded Turkey’s measures to host the “largest refugee population” in the world, and underscored the importance of the international community providing support to the countries hosting large refugee populations.

Both the leaders also exchanged views on important regional and international issues, and expressed “satisfaction over commonality of views between the two countries on major issues”.