Turkish foreign minister talks to Pakistani counterpart

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke with his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday and voiced Ankara's desire to further strengthen ties with Islamabad, according to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry said: "Mr. Cavusoglu expressed a strong desire of the government of Turkey to strengthen the existing close and friendly relations between the two countries.

"Pakistan and Turkey enjoy exemplary fraternal relations based on common faith, values, culture, civilization linkages, history, mutual trust and support," it said.

Cavusoglu also congratulated Qureshi on the recent election victory of Premier Imran Khan.

Qureshi said relations between the two countries had been transformed into a mutually beneficial strategic partnership.

"The foreign minister expressed his keen desire to work closely with his Turkish counterpart to expand bilateral cooperation in all areas, particularly in trade and economic sector," the statement added.

Qureshi said Pakistan and Turkey will play their roles to promote peace and stability in the region.