QURESHI APPRECIATES ERDOGAN’S ‘CONCRETE’ STANCE ON ISLAMOPHOBIA

FOREIGN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday telephoned his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, and appreciated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his “concrete” stance on the rising wave of Islamophobia. In their wide-ranging discussion, the two foreign ministers talked about bilateral relations and discussed ways to further mutual interests. Matters pertaining to regional security also came under discussion, the statement said.

“The foreign minister appreciated the Turkish president’s concrete stance regarding the increasing trend of Islamophobia. The Turkish foreign minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement on Islamophobia is praiseworthy,” it added.

Qureshi also thanked Cavusoglu for Turkey’s support to Pakistan during the session of the Financial Action Task Force last week in which the watchdog found Pakistan had successfully complied with 21 out of 27 points of action and decided to keep the country on its ‘grey list’ until February 2021.

In addition to the crucial FATF meetup, Turkey has time and again thrown its weight behind Pakistan, which has been on the global money-laundering watchdog’s radar since June 2018 when it was placed on its gray list for alleged money laundering.

Meanwhile, Cavusoglu, the statement said, appreciated Islamabad’s “successful” efforts to comply with the FATF plan in recent months.

The Turkish top diplomat also offered his condolences over Tuesday’s bomb blast in a religious seminary attached to a mosque in Peshawar, which martyred at least 10 people and injured over 110. He also hailed Prime Minister Imran Khan for his stand against Islamophobia. The two foreign ministers agreed to continue consultations and cooperation on matters relating to regional peace and security in the future.