Erdoğan: Türkiye, Pakistan to work together for Gaza

ISLAMABAD

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed on Feb. 13 that Türkiye would continue to work with Pakistan to support the people of Gaza.

“We believe that we must strengthen our determined stance at a time when there are unlawful and unconscionable proposals to tear our Gazan brothers away from their homeland,” Erdoğan said during a joint press conference with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad.

His comments came in a tacit response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal that the United States take over Gaza and remove its residents en masse.

“We appreciate Pakistan’s resolute stance on the Palestinian issue,” Erdoğan said. “If Türkiye and Pakistan stand shoulder to shoulder, they are the two countries that can make the most progress in the development of this region in many areas from economy to security.”

He also condemned Israel’s actions during the ongoing ceasefire process, accusing the country of failing to honor agreements.

“We see that our region is being dragged into blood and tears again,” Erdoğan said. “I believe that the alliance of humanity, especially the Arab and Islamic worlds, will not leave the people of Gaza alone during this critical process. We will also work to prevent a new Nakba.”

Nakba, Arabic for catastrophe, refers to the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

“Gaza belongs to our brothers in Gaza. It will remain so forever. The homeland of the Palestinians cannot be negotiated," the president added.

During the visit to Islamabad, Erdoğan and Sharif signed 24 cooperation agreements aimed at strengthening ties between the two nations. These agreements cover various sectors, including defense, energy, trade, agriculture and technology.

Among the key defense agreements was a memorandum of understanding on the cooperation of air forces. In the energy sector, the two leaders signed agreements focused on hydrocarbon cooperation, energy transition and mining.

Trade relations were bolstered by a joint declaration on goods trade development and a memorandum on the digitalization of certification processes.

Agricultural collaboration was advanced through agreements on water management and seed production, while technology ties were reinforced through agreements on legal metrology infrastructure and the establishment of a textile technology center.

Cultural cooperation was also a focal point, with the two countries agreeing to enhance media and public relations collaboration, along with joint audiovisual productions.