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Türkiye saw its president use a high-profile diplomatic meeting Saturday to issue a sharp rebuke of Israel's conduct across the Middle East, declaring that the country's government must not be permitted to once again drag the region into violence.
Speaking alongside Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at a joint news conference in Istanbul following bilateral and delegation-level talks, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the world could not afford inaction.
"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," he said.
Erdogan said Türkiye is watching closely what he described as Israeli efforts to undermine a recently brokered interim agreement between Iran and the United States, known as the Islamabad Memorandum, while Israeli forces continue to strike targets in Lebanon and Syria and press on with attacks on Palestinians in Gaza that he called "unlawful and inhumane."
Erdogan credited Pakistan with playing a central diplomatic role in securing the Iran-U.S. agreement, calling it a rare moment of relief for a region long battered by conflict.
"The whole world breathed a sigh of relief thanks to the calm ensured by the Islamabad Memorandum," he said, offering congratulations to Sharif and the Pakistani people for their contribution.
Türkiye has consistently backed diplomatic solutions to regional tensions and reaffirmed that posture Saturday. "We have especially supported, and continue to support, every step that will contribute to reducing tensions in our region and resolving problems through diplomacy," Erdogan said.
He stressed that no settlement imposed from outside the region could hold. "No solution that does not draw strength from the will and contribution of regional countries can be permanent."
Beyond the regional security dimension, the two leaders focused on expanding an already substantial bilateral relationship.
Erdogan said Ankara and Islamabad reaffirmed a shared target of pushing bilateral trade to $5 billion, with both countries' trade ministries working toward establishing a special economic zone in the Pakistani port city of Karachi for Turkish businesses.
Talks are also ongoing to broaden the scope of an existing preferential trade agreement.
A business forum attended by Sharif earlier in the day was cited by Erdogan as a further signal of commercial intent. Defense industry cooperation, described as a key pillar of economic relations, is continuing to advance through new joint projects, he said, with Türkiye encouraging greater investment from its private sector into Pakistan.
Erdogan said the two countries also expressed intent to deepen ties in energy, transportation, critical minerals and information technology.
Erdogan opened the press conference by expressing condolences over a bus accident in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Friday that killed 40 people, before framing the day's discussions as part of a broader, long-term partnership rooted in shared geography and common interests.
Erdogan said Türkiye's ultimate goal is a region where people of every faith can live without fear. "We will continue working in solidarity with brotherly countries, particularly Pakistan, to strengthen peace, stability and prosperity in our region," he said.
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