Turkish ambassador calls on AJK president

ISLAMABAD: The newly appointed Ambassador of Turkey Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul to Pakistan Thursday called on President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan to discuss matters of mutual interest.

Extending his best wishes to Ambassador Yurdakul on assuming his new appointment, the president hoped that Ambassador Yurdakul’s tenure will prove to be productive in furthering the friendly relations between Turkey, Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, a press release said.

Ambassador Yurdakul expressed his pleasure on assuming his new assignment and said he will use his position in promoting the already close and cordial diplomatic relations between Turkey and Pakistan, as well as Azad Kashmir, particularly in the spheres of economic and cultural ties.

President Masood paid tribute to Turkey saying that it inherits a rich history of Muslim civilization. Today, he said, Turkey’s initiatives were connecting the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa by building new diplomatic junctions and concourses.

He said Turkey was emerging as a symbol of Islamic community’s glory and unity, as well as a great force of peace and sagacity at the international level.

He thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir during his historic address to the Joint Session of the Pakistani Parliament in Islamabad and for taking up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the former’s visit to India.

Ambassador Yurdakul said Turkey strongly believed that initiatives should be taken to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue through dialogue and diplomacy. President Erdogan, he said, believes that international community must help the people of the Indian occupied Kashmir out of their unending plight and their human rights must be respected under all circumstances.

The president said the people of Jammu and Kashmir believe in a peaceful solution to the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council’s resolutions and with the support of its friends like Turkey which can talk to India and persuade it to come to the negotiating table.

He conveyed his gratitude to the Turkish ambassador for Turkey’s steadfast support to the Jammu and Kashmir cause in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir and at the United Nations.

Sardar Masood Khan said Turkey and Azad Kashmir enjoyed a new affinity. After the 2005 earthquake, our Turkish brothers helped to reconstruct the dilapidated cities of Azad Kashmir. Because of the Turkish-led reconstruction, Muzaffarabad now has a distinct Turkish imprint and style of architecture, he said.

He expressed his satisfaction over the growing educational ties between Azad Kashmir and Turkey. Students and faculty were enrolling in the Turkish Universities and Turkish Language courses were being promoted in the University of AJK. He also invited the popular Turkish envoy Muzaffarabad to inaugurate Turkish Language courses.