Pakistan's premiere arrives in Ankara to attend President Erdogan’s inauguration ceremony

By Firdevs Bulut Kartal

TORONTO (AA) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Ankara late Friday to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the invitation of the Turkish president, according to a statement.

The prime minister was received with a warm welcome by senior government and diplomatic officials at the Ankara Esenboga Airport.

Shehbaz was accompanied by Chief Minister Punjab Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb and special assistant Tariq Fatemi.

The prime minister will also meet prominent business leaders representing energy, infrastructure, food processing and consumer goods sectors, according to the statement.

Türkiye went to the polls last Sunday for a presidential runoff after no candidate secured more than 50% of the vote needed for an outright victory in the first round May 14.

Erdogan won with 52.18% of the vote, while opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu received 47.82%, according to official results.