Sunday, 25 October 2009
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Sunday with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.
The two prime ministers appeared at a joint press conference after a attending a ceremony to sign a number protocols to develop bilateral relations between the two countries.
Speaking at the press conference Gilani said Turkey and Pakistan were two strategic partners, sharing similar views in global and regional issues.
"We condemn terrorism and extremism under any circumstance and we will find ways to cooperate on this problem," Gilani said.
Erdogan said on his part that terrorism had no religion, nation, race and country. "No one should resort to violence in the name of religion. I do not and cannot understand how a Muslim could kill his Muslim brother and defenseless people," he said.
The Turkish premier said the two countries shared a will to create a joint platform to fight against terrorism, adding that Turkish and Pakistani intelligence agencies cooperated to tackle terrorist threats.
Responding to a question on a recent attack on Iranian revolutionary guards, Erdogan said he would discuss the issue with the Iranian president during a visit to Tehran after completing talks in Islamabad.
"We will proceed to Iran and we will have the opportunity to discuss this issue with Iranian president. We need to act in concert to ensure that the region finds peace and stability," Erdogan said.
On another question about Turkish military contribution in Afghanistan, Erdogan said Turkey would not send more troops to the country. "We have currently around 1700-1800 troops there and we do no have plan to send more," he said.
