Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi reaffirmed on Wednesday Pakistan's commitment to play a positive role for regional peace and security, including for the Afghan peace process.
During a telephonic conversation with Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavusoglu, FM Qureshi thanked him for Turkey’s consistent and categorical stance on Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
He said the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised voice for the oppressed Kashmiri people at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, adding that this gave courage and confidence to the Kashmiri people.
In September, the Turkish president raised the IIOJK issue in his address to the UNGA, calling for the resolution of the decades-old dispute between Pakistan and India in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
Addressing the 193-member gathering, Erdogan reminded the international community that the Kashmir dispute was still a “burning issue”, while the unilateral steps were taken by India on August 5 last year further complicated the problem.
FM Qureshi added that it was a matter of satisfaction that both countries shared identical views on important regional and international matters.
The Turkish foreign minister was also appreciative of the steps taken by Pakistan for regional peace, including its efforts for peace in Afghanistan.
On October 5, it was reported that Pakistan had quietly been making efforts for the last several weeks to reach out to all key players in Afghanistan in order to dispel the impression that it is supporting a particular group.
The recent visit by Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan high peace council, was part of those efforts, said a senior Pakistani official, who is directly involved in such diplomatic manoeuvres.
Dr Abdullah is one of the key figures in Afghanistan, who visited Pakistan after a long gap of 12 years.
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