ANKARA – Turkey has categorically announced to stand by Pakistan and its people in the face of Indian aggression.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoglu expressed the sentiments during his telephonic conversation with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi today (Wednesday).
Sharing details of his talk, Shah Mahmood Qureshi in an interview today said the Turkish Foreign Minister also declared to oppose if the Indian External Affairs Minister was given an opportunity to speak at the upcoming OIC meeting in Abu Dhabi.
The Foreign Minister said that the UN Secretary General also telephoned him and while expressing concern over the current situation assured to play his role in whatever way and manner he could.
Meanwhile, Germany has called for dialogue between Pakistan and India to prevent further escalation of the situation between the two nuclear-armed states.
Talking to reporters in Berlin today, German foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said Germany is watching developments in South Asia with great concern.
She said both sides have a responsibility to prevent an escalation.
Britain and Russia have also joined China and the U.S., calling on India and Pakistan to exercise restraint as tensions between the two countries reached a boiling point today, after Pakistan shot down two Indian warplanes and arrested an Indian pilot.
Speaking at the weekly question session in House of Commons today, British Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.K. is deeply concerned about rising tensions between Pakistan and India and is urging both sides to avoid further escalation.
May said the British government is monitoring developments closely and they hope tensions can be de-escalated.
She said Britain is in contact with both sides and urging dialogue and diplomatic solutions for regional stability.
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said they support urgent dialogue between the two countries in order to reduce the tensions and to deal with the root causes of it.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that Russia is concerned about rising tensions between India and Pakistan and urges the two countries to exercise restraint.
