PM Shehbaz attends inauguration ceremony of President Erdogan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday joined world leaders at the inauguration ceremony of President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

The premier conveyed heartiest felicitations on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan to President Erdogan on his re-election as the president of Turkiye and wished him continued success.

Acknowledging President Erdogan’s visionary leadership, the prime minister stated that Turkiye’s impressive strides in all fields during the past 25 years was most remarkable achievement.

As the Turkish Republic commemorates its centenary this year, it was befitting that Erdogan would continue to lead the great nation on the path to progress and prosperity, the prime minister added.

PM Shehbaz also thanked Erdogan for his efforts to promote regional peace, and for the president’s commitment to diplomacy and dialogue.

Reiterating his commitment to further strengthen Pakistan-Turkiye brotherly ties and enhancing diverse strategic partnership, the prime minister invited Erdogan to visit Pakistan to co-chair the 7th Meeting of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) in Islamabad.

Pakistan and Turkiye enjoy historic relations that transcend the boundaries of time and geography. Both countries have always stood by each other in times of need while celebrating each other’s success.

The president thanked the prime minister and reciprocated the warm sentiments, as well as expressing his best wishes for the government and people of Pakistan.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb also felicitated Erdogan.

During the ceremony, traditional music and the national anthem of Turkiye were played. President Erdogan was accompanied by his wife, Emine Erdogan.

Read more: Turkey's Erdogan sworn in for new term as president

In his remarks on the occasion, Erdogan thanked the people of Turkiye for electing him for another term. He urged people of Turkiye to forge unity and work towards a better future with collective effort.

“Democracy in Turkiye is strong. We will strengthen it further,” he said adding Turkiye wanted good relations with all countries and would play its role for peace and security in the world.

President Erdogan thanked leaders of the countries including PM Shehbaz Sharif for attending his inauguration ceremony. High-level officials from 78 countries attended Turkish President Erdogan’s swearing-in ceremony.

The ceremony at the Presidential Complex was attended by 21 heads of state, 13 prime ministers, as well as parliamentary and ministerial-level representatives, and representatives of international organisations, including the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), NATO and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Earlier, Erdogan took oath in the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye and began his new term. He received his mandate from the Temporary Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye, Devlet Bahceli. After taking oath, Erdogan visited Anitkabir.

President Erdogan hosted guests at a dinner at the Cankaya Palaca, the former home of Turkish presidents, after the ceremony. He is expected to announce his cabinet after dinner.

Erdogan won a presidential runoff election last Sunday with 52.18% of the vote. Opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 47.82%, according to final results released by the country’s Supreme Election Council.