ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s anticipated visit to Pakistan has been postponed, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal confirmed on Thursday.
The development came hours after the Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Mustafa Yurdakul tweeted about the matter.
President @RTErdogan‘s envisaged visit to ?? will be re-scheduled for an early future date.
— ?? Mustafa Yurdakul /مصطفی (@Mustafa_MFA) October 16, 2019
It had earlier been reported that the Erdogan would pay an official visit to Pakistan on Oct 23 to “cement relations between the two countries” and extend “full support” to Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue.
The FO spokesperson added that a new date for the visit is yet to be determined.
While Faisal did not provide any reasons for the postponement, Turkey is currently occupied with a military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria which has raised tensions with Washington and other Western countries.
As the Syrian conflict continues to unfold, US President Donald Trump on Thursday imposed sanctions on Turkey and demanded that the Nato ally stop a military incursion in northeast Syria that is rapidly reshaping the battlefield of the world’s deadliest ongoing war.
However, the measures were limited to the Turkish defense and energy ministries and three Turkish officials, the ministers of defense, energy and interior security, Time magazine had reported.
On Monday, US Vice President Mike Pence told reporters that “the United States of America simply is not going to tolerate Turkey’s invasion in Syria any further. We are calling on Turkey to stand down, end the violence and come to the negotiating table.”
Pence, heading a US delegation that includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, is set to arrive in Turkey on Thursday afternoon.
