Gen Raheel assures Turkey of total support

Army chief meets Turkish President Erdogan and PM Davutoglu


Our Correspondent October 14, 2015
Gen Raheel Sharif meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday. PHOTO: INP

ISLAMABAD:


Army chief General Raheel Sharif said on Tuesday that Pakistan would extend ‘total support’ to Turkey in handling its current security challenges.


General Raheel made this commitment during separate meetings with top Turkish leaders, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in Ankara.

The army chief travelled to Ankara at the invitation of the Turkish government to discuss enhanced cooperation between the two brotherly countries to jointly fight terrorism. His visit came against the backdrop of the recent terrorist attack in Ankara that left over 120 people dead.

It is believed that Turkey, which has longstanding defence and security cooperation with Pakistan, is now seeking Islamabad’s increased help to deal with the challenge in the aftermath of the Ankara blasts, regarded as the deadliest in Turkish history.



Authorities in Turkey suspected that ultra-orthodox terrorist group Islamic State (IS) could be behind the attack on a Kurdish peace rally.

“The army chief’s meetings with the Turkish president, prime minister as well as military chiefs suggested significance of his visit,” said a security source. The source said Pakistan could share its ‘expertise and experience’ with Turkish authorities in tackling extremists groups, including IS.

In a series of tweets Pakistan’s army’s chief spokesperson Lt Gen Asim Salim Bajwa said Turkey’s president and prime minister lauded Pakistan Army’s contributions in defeating terrorism. “The Turkish leadership emphasised the fraternal ties between the two brotherly nations,” he added.

Lt Gen Bajwa said the army chief assured the Turkish leadership of ‘total support’ in handling their security challenges. The Turkish leadership, on its part, appreciated Pakistan’s role for regional peace.

The army chief also held separate meetings with the Turkish defence minister and chief of general staff and expressed satisfaction on defence cooperation between the two countries. “Both sides vowed to further enhance defence collaboration,” the army’s spokesperson said.


Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2015.

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