Turkish president warns 'war-addicted' Israel must not plunge region into bloodshed

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned that Israel's "war-addicted" government must not be allowed to plunge the region into fresh bloodshed, speaking at a joint news conference in Istanbul alongside Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif following bilateral and delegation-level talks. The Turkish president emphasized that no solution excluding the will and contribution of regional countries can prove permanent, vowing to continue working in solidarity with Islamabad to strengthen peace, stability and prosperity across the region.

Islamabad Memorandum and Israeli threats

Erdogan said the world breathed "a sigh of relief" thanks to the calm ensured by the Islamabad Memorandum, the interim deal between Iran and the United States mediated by Pakistan. "We have especially supported, and continue to support, every step that will contribute to reducing tensions in our region and resolving problems through diplomacy," he said, adding that Ankara is closely following Israeli efforts to sabotage the agreement. "It is necessary not to allow the current war-addicted Israeli government to once again drown our geography in the smell of gunpowder and blood," Erdogan said, noting that Tel Aviv continues targeting Lebanon and Syria while maintaining "unlawful and inhumane" attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.

Trade and defense cooperation

Ankara and Islamabad reaffirmed their target of reaching $5 billion in bilateral trade volume, with the two countries' trade ministries working on a special economic zone for Turkish businesspeople in Karachi and negotiating the expansion of their preferential trade agreement. Defense industry cooperation continues advancing through new projects, Erdogan noted, stating that Türkiye seeks deeper collaboration with Pakistan in energy, transportation, critical minerals and information technologies while encouraging more Turkish investors to operate in the South Asian nation.

Erdogan offered condolences over Friday's bus accident in Pakistan's Balochistan province, which killed 40 people, and congratulated Sharif and the Pakistani people for their role in securing the Iran-US interim deal. The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues during the Istanbul talks, according to the Turkish Presidency.