Top Turkish officials to visit Pakistan for Afghanistan tensions talks
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Turkey will deploy senior officials to Pakistan to address tensions with Afghanistan, President Erdogan says, as Ankara also focuses on regional diplomacy and aid.
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Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, right, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, and Pakistan's PM Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif talk in Baku on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, (Azerbaijan's Presidential Press Service via AP)
Turkey will dispatch its senior leadership to Pakistan next week to discuss escalating tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters aboard his return flight from Azerbaijan, Erdogan said that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin will travel to Islamabad for high-level talks aimed at easing friction between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
This comes shortly after Afghan spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Saturday that peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan have collapsed, though the ceasefire between the two neighbours remains in effect.
In a different context, Erdogan revealed that Ankara is finalizing plans to send housing containers from Turkey’s earthquake-hit regions to Gaza, underscoring the urgency of delivering humanitarian relief.
“Ensuring the delivery of urgently needed supplies to Gaza is of utmost importance,” he said, emphasizing that it is “not merely a matter of aid, but a matter of humanity.”
The Turkish president noted that “winds of peace” were blowing across the Caucasus following Azerbaijan’s victory in Karabakh, adding that Turkey's normalization process with Armenia would proceed “in coordination and synchronization with Azerbaijan.”
Turning to Sudan, Erdogan said Turkey “cannot remain a bystander” to the ongoing war and will continue diplomatic efforts to promote peace and stability in the country. He also mentioned progress on the F-35 fighter jet issue following his recent discussions with US President Donald Trump, expressing optimism that “the promises made will be kept.”
Prospects for F-35 and F-16 fighter jet purchases
Erdogan is pressing for US approval to buy 40 F-35A jets and 40 new F-16 Viper fighters, in addition to bombs, missiles, and spare engines. The US had earlier approved the F-16 sale after Turkey ratified Sweden’s NATO membership.
Ankara currently operates around 240 F-16s, the world’s second-largest fleet after the United States, and seeks to replace its aging F-4s.
Turkey initially planned to purchase 79 F-16 upgrade kits as part of a $23 billion modernization deal, but has shifted focus to acquiring new F-35s if sanctions are lifted.
Ankara has also requested US permission to assemble GE Aerospace F110 and F404 engines used in American fighter jets and in Turkey’s domestically developed Kaan warplane and Hurjet trainer aircraft. Approval could speed up US engine production while boosting Turkey’s growing defense sector.
Some Turkish electronics firms are expected to continue providing critical software and components, while others may help navigate European Union restrictions on certain materials used in jet manufacturing.
