ISTANBUL: Turkey on Wednesday warned of a risk of “all-out war” between India and Pakistan, after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed neighbours in two decades.
“The attack carried out last night by India runs the risk of an all-out war,“ said a foreign ministry statement after India’s deadly missile strikes. “We condemn this provocative initiative as well as the attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
Ankara called on both sides to “show good sense” and take the necessary measures to reduce tension “including in the fight against terrorism”.
It also backed Pakistan’s request for an inquiry into the April 22 attack on tourists by gunmen in Indian Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed, mainly Hindu men.
India has blamed the attack on the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist organisation.
Turkey and Pakistan, both majority-Muslim countries, have long had close economic and military links.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Islamabad in February where the two countries signed a range of new agreements, notably concerning defence.
