Turkish, Azerbaijani and Pakistani leaders meet in Kazakh capital

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the 24th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

During the trilateral meeting, the leaders discussed regional and global issues as well as potential areas of cooperation among their countries, according to the statement shared on X by Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

President Erdogan emphasised the numerous joint steps that Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan could take across various fields, which he said would benefit all three nations, the statement said.

He highlighted that in a region plagued by wars, conflicts, and tensions, such collaborations would also contribute to regional and global peace.

The meeting was also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Simsek, Minister of Trade Omer Bolat, and Chief Advisor on Foreign Policy and Security to the President, Ambassador Akif Cagatay Kilic.

Astana meetings

Erdogan on Wednesday flew to Astana to attend the two-day 24th meeting of the council of heads of state of the SCO.

Erdogan is accompanied by first lady Emine Erdogan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, his chief adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic and other officials.

The SCO was founded in 2001 with Russia, China and Central Asian powers, and later included India, Iran and Pakistan.

It is expected to expand as Belarus, which has an observer status along with Mongolia and Afghanistan, is mulling to join the bloc as a full member. As many as 14 countries including Türkiye have a dialogue partner status.