Turkey continues to stand with Pakistan: Erdogan

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Ankara will continue to stand in solidarity with Pakistan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

"Turkey stands with Pakistan today and tomorrow, as it did yesterday, and will continue to stand with it," Erdogan told a joint news conference with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara.

Erdogan also said Turkey’s “Pakistani brothers” also stand in strong solidarity with Ankara.

Erdogan also praised a recent Pakistani Supreme Court ruling recognizing the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) as a terror group.

"The declaration of FETO as a terrorist group by the Supreme Court in Pakistan and delivery of the [FETO-linked] schools to our Maarif Foundation...These are welcome steps," he added.

Turkey established the Maarif Foundation in 2016 to assume the administration of overseas schools linked to FETO. It also establishes more schools and education centers abroad.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, including the military, police, and academia.

FETO has a considerable presence abroad, including private schools serving as a revenue stream for the terror group.

- Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan to meet in Istanbul

Erdogan also announced that a trilateral meeting between Turkey, Pakistan, and Afghanistan will be held in Istanbul after Turkey’s March 31 local elections.

The president also urged Turkish businesspeople to invest in Pakistan.

Khan, for his part, said Pakistan wants to take bilateral relations with Turkey to a "much higher" level.

The premier said from now on Pakistan and Turkey will be much closer.

Khan said he hoped the trilateral summit would contribute to peace in neighboring Afghanistan.