West supporting terrorists, says Erdogan

Turkish president says Gulen movement also poses threat to Pakistan; Turkey feels Kashmiris’ pain; wants early, meaningful resolution of issue; Pakistan and Turkey are real brothers; Nawaz says Turkish people made history by foiling coup attempt; Pakistan, Turkey to work jointly for peace in region and beyond

ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said the West was supporting terrorists like Fathullah Gulen, which may also pose a threat to Pakistan.

He called upon the Muslim Ummah to forge unity and take practical measures to counter the threat of terrorism, saying that terrorist organisations like Daesh and al-Qaeda were inflicting damage only on the Muslim countries.

Addressing the joint sitting of parliament, the Turkish president said terrorist organisations were bringing a bad name to Islam, which is the religion of peace, and also to the Islamic world.

He also spoke in detail about the deep-rooted and historic relations between Pakistan and Turkey, saying that the two countries are real brothers. He ended his speech by raising slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad and Turkey Paindabad’.

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and other members of parliament continued thumping desks as appreciation to the remarks of the Turkish president. As announced earlier by the PTI leadership, its party members stayed away from the joint sitting.

Governors of Punjab, Balochistan and KP, chief ministers of three provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan, the three services chiefs including General Raheel Sharif, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman and Admiral Zakaullah, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmood, foreign envoys along with other guests were present in the visitors’ galleries. KP’s Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak was missing from the gallery.

Tayyip Erdogan also pointed out that Pakistan was the first country to stand by Turkey with its state government, parliament and its people after the 15 July coup attempt. “We appreciated the resolutions of support which were adopted unanimously by your parliament,” he said.

“Pakistan with its stance against the July 15 coup attempt, perpetrated by Fathullah Gulen terrorist organisation (FETO), showed that it also stood by the Turkish nation in its second war of liberation. May Allah be pleased with you and forever maintain and preserve our solidarity,” he said.

He said that FETO is a bloody terrorist organisation posing a threat not only to Turkey but to all the countries in which it operates, hoping that the terrorist organisation would be eliminated as soon as possible without harming the brotherly Pakistan. “I appreciate the recent decisions taken by the Pakistani government in this direction and I thank you for your strong support in our fight against FETO,” he said.

He said Pakistan and Turkey, by using their position in the region, could play a leading role inin the region could play a leading role in forging unity among the Muslim Ummah.

He said terrorist organisations such as al-Qaeda and its affiliate Daesh are the agents of the war carried out against Islam which are only and solely harming Muslims and the organisations were being supported by the West. “We should eliminate these bunches of killers, who have no other skill than to shed Muslims’ blood, from the Islamic world and from all over the world as soon as possible,” he said.

Erdogan cautioned that otherwise, neither Turkey, nor Pakistan, nor the world of Islam, or mankind will attain peace.

He mentioned that terrorist organisations were trying to find a basis for themselves by provoking the divisions and differences among the Muslims. “In order to save the Muslims from this servile situation faced, we have to eradicate all means of exploitation from sectarianism to ethnic discrimination spreading among the Islamic nations,” he said.

He was of the view that there was need to fight together against those who are desiring to turn the Islamic world into a geography in which division, defeatism, instigation, hatred and ignorance prevail.

He said Fathullah Gulen, while sitting in Pennsylvania, is dreaming to rule the entire world. He thanked Pakistan for extending necessary cooperation in tackling the challenge thrown by the organisation of Fathullah.

He called upon Pakistan and India to find a solution to Kashmir issue through direct dialogue expressing readiness of Turkey to make efforts to this end.

“We wish that Pakistan and India take and consider the demands of the Kashmiri people to find a solution to the Kashmir issue through direct dialogue,” the Turkish President while addressing joint sitting of the Parliament here said.

Erdogan said Turkey was deeply concerned about the increase in tension between Pakistan and India due to Kashmir issue, emphasising that the international community should exert further efforts in order to solve this issue which has political and humanitarian dimensions, according to justice and law. He said Turkey feels the pain of Kashmiris and want immediate resolution of the issue. 

He was of the view that the latest developments in Kashmir once again demonstrated the importance and the urgency of the solution of this problem. “The Kashmir issue, which we follow carefully and could not have been solved for almost 70 years, continues to hurt our conscience,” he said.

He referred to the sacrifices rendered by Muslims of South Asia during Khilafat Movement and said the Turkish nation would remain indebted to Pakistan. 

He said people of Turkey cherish their memories with the wholehearted assistance rendered by Pakistan after 1999 earthquake in Turkey. President Erdogan recalled that Pakistan declared a day of mourning after the mining disaster in Soma in 2014 in his country and Turkey declared on day official mourning after terrorist attack on Peshawar school.

The Turkish President said his target is to further expand multidimensional relationship with Pakistan in different fields including defence, culture, education and health. He said both the countries have set the target of enhancing the bilateral trade to one billion dollars.

The Turkish President said that Muslim could overcome their problems as believers of the holy religion. "If we cannot overcome our problems hand in hand as believers of this holy religion, we cannot save Muslims from the pit of impunity that they have fallen into," he said, adding Islam is a religion of union and Wahdat.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sahrif said that Pakistan and Turkey are indispensable partners and they would continue to work together closely to strengthen peace, security and development in the region and beyond. “The two sides have agreed that increased trade, investment and commercial cooperation must be the nucleus of the robust economic relationship,” he said at the joint press stakeout with visiting Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

He said the Turkish people set an example for the world be foiling coup against the democratic government. He thanked Turkey for its support to Pakistan for the membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and said both the countries will continue to work for peace and security in the region and beyond.

He said that Pakistan and Turkey have decided to complete the negotiation process for comprehensive bilateral Free Trade Agreement by the end of next year. The prime minister said that he has briefed the visiting dignitary about Pakistan's continuing commitment to build a peaceful neighbourhood despite setback to our sincere efforts. He said that he also updated him about continuing grave human rights violations in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) and the current state of Pakistan-India relations. 

The prime minister thanked Erdogan for promoting peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute and the active role Turkey has been playing in the OIC Contact Group on Kashmir. He also expressed deep appreciation of Turkey for its strong support for Pakistan's bid for membership of NSG. 

Nawaz referred to the failed coup attempt in Turkey in July this year and said that the resolve and resilience with which Turkish people defeated the illegal assault on democracy was remarkable. He said the courage with which President Erdogan led the resistance effort from the front was decisive. He said the entire Pakistani nation regardless of political affiliations was unanimous in expressing support and solidarity for Turkey's elected government and democratic institutions. He said that people of Turkey wrote a new chapter in the annals of history and democracy. Nawaz Sharif said that fraternal ties between Pakistan and Turkey are unique and unparalleled. 

“2017 marks the 70th year of Pakistan-Turkey diplomatic relations, and we have decided to celebrate this historic milestone,” he said, adding Pakistan is a second home to the people of Turkey. Appreciating Turkey’s bid for Pakistan to join the NSG, Nawaz said that it helped strengthen Pakistan’s position. 

“We believe that the close relationship shared by the two countries serves as a stability factor in the region.”  Turning to ongoing tensions in IHK, Nawaz said, “I want to update you on the situation in Occupied Kashmir and I thank the Turkish president for his support in building a peaceful neighbourhood in the region.”

He said that the worst human rights atrocities are being committed in IHK. In his remarks, Erdogan said that Kashmir dispute needs to be resolved through dialogue between Pakistan and India keeping in view the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the UN resolutions.

“We cannot ignore the ongoing tension on the Line of Control and the situation in Kashmir.” He said OIC will continue to extend support to Pakistan on the matter. 

While referring to Afghan-Pakistan cooperation, he emphasised that it is vital to fight the scourge of terrorism. He said the trilateral mechanism between Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan initiated in 2007 had yielded positive results in strengthening the relations. He expressed confidence that the cooperation among the three countries will be further improved and strengthened in the days ahead. 

Meanwhile, in a joint declaration on the future direction of Pakistan-Turkey strategic relationship issued upon conclusion of the two-day official visit of Erdogan and his high level delegation, the two countries have reiterated strong condemnation of the heinous coup attempt in Turkey on 15 July 2016, paying rich tributes to the brave and resilient Turkish people who stood resolutely in defence of democracy against the forces of darkness.

The communiqué expressed firm resolve to continue their strong mutual support to each other on issues of core national interest and in defence of the peace and prosperity of the two nations while agreeing to develop a comprehensive, long-term and forward-looking framework for defence cooperation between the two countries.

They have decided to broaden the frequency and scope of bilateral consultations on foreign ministers as well as foreign secretaries levels and to expand these consultations to matters pertaining to OIC as well. The two leaders exchanged views on the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Turkey bilateral relationship as well as issues of regional and international importance.