Erdogan urges diplomacy, offers Turkey’s support for Pakistan-Afghanistan ceasefire

Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Shehbaz Sharif that Turkey supports a return to diplomatic channels in the Middle East crisis and is ready to back efforts to restore a ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Presidency of the Republic of Turkey said Erdogan condemned recent “terrorist attacks” in Pakistan during Tuesday’s call and stressed the need for diplomatic engagement to prevent further bloodshed.

The conversation came amid heightened regional tensions following recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, raising concerns about broader instability affecting Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to security cooperation and bilateral ties with Pakistan and expressed readiness to support mechanisms aimed at maintaining a ceasefire along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

The call follows seven days of intense cross-border fighting between Pakistani forces and Taliban authorities along the frontier, including airstrikes and artillery exchanges that have escalated tensions between the two neighbors.

Taliban officials have claimed that at least 150 Pakistani soldiers were killed and more than 200 wounded in the clashes, while Pakistan has said over 400 Taliban fighters were killed. Independent verification of the casualty figures has not been possible, and the situation along the border remains volatile.

Analysts say sustained diplomatic engagement by regional actors such as Turkey could prove critical in preventing further escalation and containing the conflict, as humanitarian and security concerns continue to mount on both sides of the border.

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