Turkey extends condolences to Pakistan over Quetta bomb attack

Turkish foreign minister on Saturday extended condolences to his Pakistani counterpart over a deadly terror attack inside a mosque in Quetta, the Foreign Office said.

Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke with Shah Mehmood Qureshi over the phone following the Friday’s attack in which at least 15 people, including a senior police official, were killed.

“Çavuşoğlu condemned the terrorist act and expressed solidarity with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism,” the statement read.

The two foreign ministers, the communiqué added, also exchanged views on the regional situation, with a particular focus on recent developments in the Middle East.

While Çavuşoğlu shared his assessment of the situation following his latest visit to Iraq, Qureshi informed his counterpart of his upcoming visits to Iran and Saudi Arabia for consultations with a view to reducing tensions and supporting efforts for the preservation of peace in the region.

The Turkish minister appreciated Pakistan’s endeavours and expressed Turkey’s support to all efforts for promoting peace and stability in the region.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, who said Pakistan would not become party to any war but was ready to offer Pakistan’s good offices for defusing tensions in the Middle East, has directed Qureshi to undertake visits to KSA, Iran and USA. He has also asked army chief General Qamar Bajwa to reach out to the relevant military leaders.

Initially, there were fears that Washington might react strongly after Tehran targeted US military bases in Iraq in retaliation to the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani. But the US president’s statement suggesting that Iran appeared to be seeking de-escalation has eased fears of any major conflict between the two countries.