Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif thanks 'brother' and Turkish President Erdogan for resolute support against India

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday (May 25). Both leaders reiterated their goal to strengthen ties between the two nations.

This meeting comes a fortnight after India and Pakistan were embroiled in cross-border firing, which later led to a ceasefire. But Pakistan called it their victory, and the leaders and military have been celebrating ever since. And now in a classic, PM Sharif is blowing his own trumpet as he expressed, "Thanked him for his resolute support to Pakistan in the recent Pakistan-India standoff, which resulted in Pakistan's overwhelming victory, Alhamdolillah." To which Erdogan reciprocated with, "May God make our unity, togetherness and brotherhood permanent."

During the cross-border fighting, Pakistan used Turkish drones, which led to an unofficial boycott of Turkey in India. Travellers and traders staged protests, showing their unwillingness to buy Turkish goods. This boycott also saw massive cancellations by Indians who had planned their trip to Turkey.

After his meeting, Sharif took to X, to write, "Had the honor of meeting my dear brother President Reccep Tayipp Erdogan in Istanbul this evening. Thanked him for his resolute support to Pakistan in the recent Pakistan-India standoff, which resulted in Pakistan's overwhelming victory, Alhamdolillah!"

He added, "Conveyed the sentiments of gratitude from the people of Pakistan to their Turkish brothers and sisters. We also reviewed the ongoing progress of our multifaceted bilateral engagements, particularly in trade and investment, and reaffirmed our resolve to continue working closely to further strengthen these unshakeable bonds of brotherhood and cooperation. Long live Pakistan-Turkey friendship."

In response, Erdogan wrote, "Today, I was very pleased to host the Prime Minister of Pakistan, my dear friend Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, and his esteemed delegation in Istanbul. We discussed many critical issues with them, especially economy, trade and security. We confirmed and strengthened our will to strengthen the deep-rooted historical, human and political relations between Türkiye and Pakistan in every field."

"As my dear brother Shehbaz Sharif stated, we have further strengthened the unbreakable ties, cooperation, solidarity and brotherhood between our countries and peoples. I convey my most heartfelt love to my Pakistani brothers through Mr. Sharif. I would like to thank him and his delegation for their visit. May God make our unity, togetherness and brotherhood permanent," the Turkish president added.