Turkey backs Pak's stance of sending an OIC team to Kashmir

Islamabad, Aug 2: Turkey, a close ally of Pakistan, on Tuesday (Aug 2) hoped that the Kashmir issue would be resolved through dialogue while backing Islamabad's stance to send an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) team to the Valley to probe the alleged human rights violations.

"Turkey fully supports Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference here with Pakistan Prime Minister's advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz.

Cavusoglu said Turkey is an active member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group of Kashmir and attends its meeting. Hopefully its next meeting would be held in September, he said.

"I would like to ask the Secretary General of the OIC to mobilise the Contact Group and send an observer mission. We believe this issue (Kashmir) can be solved through dialogue," he said.

Pakistan has raised the Kashmir issue at the UN and demanded sending a fact finding team to the Valley to probe the alleged human rights violations there. Forty-nine people have been killed in Kashmir in clashes since security forces killed Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

Cavusoglu, who is in Pakistan on an important visit after a failed military coup, thanked Islamabad for being the first country to denounce the coup attempt. He said Turkey was taking steps against those involved in the coup staged by supporters of US-based influential Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen. He said Gulen's organisations pose a risk or threat to the security and stability of every country.

"This terrorist organisation has a global network of schools, business associations and cultural organisations. In the past, we supported them but we didn't know they had a hidden agenda, that they were trying to take over power in Turkey through such attempts," he said.

He said that Pakistan and Turkey supported each other against terrorism. On his part, Aziz pledged Pakistan's unequivocal support for a democratic, peaceful and stable Turkey under the dynamic leadership of President Tayyip Erdogan.

He noted with satisfaction that both sides have agreed to continue to tackle the menace of terrorism and defeat the scourge. The two sides also exchanged views on situation in Afghanistan and the need for a lasting political solution.

Aziz said the two countries share similar views on migration crisis and the plight of Syrian refugees. He said Pakistan and Turkey host the largest refugee population in the world.

PTI