Ankara: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif "strongly" condemned the brutal killing of over 50,000 innocent Palestinians during a joint news conference with Trkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital Ankara. "We have called for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. We renewed our call for a viable, independent, and contiguous Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and Jerusalem as its capital," Sharif said.

According to Anadolu Agency, Sharif emphasized the need for joint efforts to counter terrorism not only in Pakistan and Trkiye but globally, highlighting that long-standing alliances are shifting and giving way to new ones. The focus of discussions between Pakistan and Trkiye was on enhancing economic collaboration, particularly through joint ventures and investments in sectors such as energy, IT, and infrastructure, with the hope that both sides would meet the mutually agreed target of increasing their bilateral trade to $5 billion.

Sharif noted that defense and security cooperation remains a key pillar of Pakistan-Trkiye relations. He expressed appreciation for Trkiye's support on the Kashmir issue and reaffirmed Pakistan's support for the people of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Additionally, Trkiye and Pakistan have agreed to continue close cooperation in multilateral forums.