Turkish president meets Pakistani premier after deadly quakes

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday received Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the capital Ankara for talks.

Erdogan and Sharif held a closed-door meeting at the presidential complex, according to the Turkish presidency.

During his visit to Türkiye, Sharif will also visit the quake-hit zone and interact with the Pakistani search and rescue teams deployed in the area.

Sharif was among the world leaders who had spoken with Erdogan on Feb. 6. after two strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye, claiming the lives of more than 36,180 people.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Condolences have poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Türkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid.