The Voice News: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul on May 25, 2025, just weeks after a military confrontation between Pakistan and India. The high-level talks focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation in key sectors including defence, energy, and transportation, according to a statement from Erdogan’s office.Leaders discuss strengthening ties in education, intelligence, and technology as regional tensions simmer.
During the meeting, Erdogan emphasized the importance of deepening solidarity between Turkiye and Pakistan, particularly in areas such as education, intelligence sharing, and technological collaboration to combat terrorism.
The meeting comes at a sensitive time, as Turkiye faces criticism from India over allegations of supplying weapons to Pakistan during the recent conflict. Ankara has firmly denied the accusations.
Erdogan had earlier voiced support for Pakistan following India’s military strikes on nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The strikes were said to be in retaliation for a deadly attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali tourist. India has blamed Pakistan for enabling the attackers—a charge Islamabad denies.
In response to the growing tensions, Turkiye warned of the danger of a full-scale war between the nuclear-armed neighbors and urged both nations to act with restraint. Erdogan also backed Pakistan’s call for an international investigation into the Pahalgam incident.