Erdogan taking measures to strengthen ties with Pakistan

Muazz Mohamed

Turkey came under fire when it launched a military operation, codenamed “Peace Spring”, against Syria’s Kurds in October 2019.

However, some countries backed the Turkish onslaught on the Kurds, namely Qatar and Pakistan.

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is now reciprocating by voting to lift Pakistan from a list of countries monitored for financing terrorism.

Shared interests

Erdogan visited Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on February 13 and 14 to participate in the sixth meeting of the Turkish-Pakistani Strategic Cooperation Council.

During the visit, Erdogan said he backed lifting Pakistan from the list of countries monitored for financing terrorism.

“We will keep backing Pakistan at the Financial Action Task Force, despite pressures,” Erdogan told the Pakistani parliament.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is a nongovernmental organization based in Paris and works to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Turkey is a member of the organization and has a vote in it.

FATF will hold a meeting next week on Pakistan. Member states are expected to vote on whether Pakistan should remain in the list of countries monitored for terrorism financing or be added to the blacklist, which will entail stricter sanctions.

Pakistan was added to the list of countries monitored for terrorism financing in 2018 at the request of the United States and its European allies.

According to some Pakistani diplomats, Pakistan was added to the list because it failed in taking enough measures to suspend terrorism financing in it.

At his press briefing with Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, said his country backed Turkey against the attacks launched against it from northern Syria.

Erdogan apparently wants to rally up support to his ongoing operation in the northern Syrian province of Idlib.

Turkey is coming under fire because of this operation, which endangers the Sochi agreement.