ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone on Wednesday with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to convey his solidarity after India hit Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir with missiles, the Turkish presidency said.
Pakistan, which has strong ties with Turkey, said it had shot down five Indian aircraft and vowed to retaliate further, in the worst clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in more than two decades.
During the call, Erdogan told Sharif that Turkey supported what he called Pakistan’s “calm and restrained policies” in the crisis, his office said in a statement.
Erdogan also said he found “appropriate” Islamabad’s call for an investigation into an Islamist militant attack that triggered the crisis. The militants killed 26 people in Indian Kashmir in the attack on April 22. Pakistan denies Indian accusations that it was linked to the attack.
“Erdogan stated that Turkey was ready to do what it can to prevent the tensions from escalating, and that his diplomatic contacts in that regard would continue,” it said.
Turkey has previously condemned India’s attack and called on both sides to act with common sense. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the latest military action by India created the risk of an “all-out war”.
Ankara also maintains cordial ties with India.
(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever and Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Daren Butler and Gareth Jones)
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