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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) meets Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif (R) in Islamabad, Pakistan on February 28, 2017. ( Kayhan zer - Anadolu Agency )

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Tuesday evening to attend the 13th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit, state-run Pakistan Television said.

The live broadcast showed Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal receive Erdogan at the Noor Khan air base following a 21-gun salute. First Lady Emine Erdogan also accompanied the president.

The summit will open Wednesday.

Erdogan was also presented with a guard of honor by a contingent from the Pakistani armed forces. He is due to meet heads of states and representatives from ECO member states on the sidelines of the summit.

He later met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan separately.

Leaders from Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are attending the summit, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria told Anadolu Agency.

The ECO was established in 1985 by Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan. It succeeded the Regional Cooperation for Development, which was founded in 1964 to promote cooperation among member states.

In 1992, the organization had welcomed seven new members: Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan.

The Treaty of Izmir, signed in 1977 and subsequently amended in 1996, was the groups legal foundation.

Following Erdogan's arrival, the ECO Council of Ministers issued a statement on the adoption of ECO Vision 2025, which will serve as a guideline for the organizations medium-term strategy.

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Erdogan arrives in Pakistan to attend economic summit - Anadolu Agency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday in Istanbul before departing for Pakistan that Turkey is willing to launch an operation to take the ISIS capital of Raqqa if it had the support of Russia and the US-led coalition.

We are about to wrap up the discussion of the al-Bab operation. After that, we have Raqqa on the agenda, provided we come to understanding with Russia, the international coalition, the US. In this case, we will consider Raqqa and Manbij, he said.

Erdogan also said that in the current situation, Turkey places much importance on talks with Russia, which is a country close to Turkey, as well as on contacts with our strategic allies, the coalition and the US.

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Taking the present situation into account, cooperation with these countries in Syria is very important for us, he added. The Turkish president then explained his exchange with the countrys Chief of General Staff General Hulusi Akar.

The main thing that we discussed was concluding the operation in al-Bab. We also exchanged views on our contacts with the US and Russia on these matters and what prospects there are. But the fact that the al-Bab operation has almost concluded does not mean that the work (in Syria) is done, Erdogan said.

He also stressed that Turkey does not plan to remain in Syria after the Euphrates Shield operation was over.

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Erdogan says Turkey is ready to 'liberate' Raqqa from ISIS - AMN Al-Masdar News (registration)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is "not welcome" to hold campaign events in Austria ahead of April's referendum on strengthening his powers, the foreign minister in Vienna said today.

Sebastian Kurz said that Erdogan campaigning over the controversial referendum would "increase friction" in Austria and "hinder the integration" of the country's 360,000-strong Turkish origin minority, which includes 117,000 Turkish citizens.

"Campaign events are not welcome. Of course the Turkish president, like other senior politicians, can make bilateral visits to Europe and Austria for talks with top officials," said Kurz.

"But we clearly reject bringing the Turkish campaign and polarisation to Austria," Kurz was quoted as saying in a foreign ministry statement.

The ministry said Erdogan's previous visits to Austria and also Germany had created "tensions" between his supporters and Turks of Kurdish origin, which have increased since July's attempted coup.

It quoted Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, who himself hold a rally in the German city of Oberhausen on February 18, as saying that Erdogan planned to campaign in European Union countries.

The April 16 vote will see Turks vote on whether to change the current parliamentary system into an executive presidency.

Erdogan's government says that this will enhance political stability.

But opponents fear that the touted new system -- which would discard the post of prime minister for the first time in Turkey's history -- would cement one-man rule under Erdogan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Turkey's Erdogan 'not welcome' to campaign in Austria - Business Standard

Middle East Eye

'If Erdogan wins it will be worse for us': Turkey's Kurds fear stronger presidency Middle East Eye Turkey will vote in April on giving President Erdogan greater powers. Many Kurds say a 'Yes' result will mean even harsher crackdowns. Members of the Youth Union of Turkey shout slogans during a 'No' rally on 26 February (AFP). Jonathan Steele's picture. Erdogan meets Iraqi Kurdish region's leader BarzaniAnadolu Agency President Barzani meets with President Erdogan - RudawRudaw Erdoan meets Iraqi Kurdish region's leader BarzaniYeni afak English Daily Sabah -Kurdistan24 -vestnik kavkaza all 26 news articles »

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'If Erdogan wins it will be worse for us': Turkey's Kurds fear stronger presidency - Middle East Eye

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11:09 27.02.2017(updated 13:01 27.02.2017) Get short URL

AP Photo/ Hassan Ammar

The operation has been criticized byDamascus who has accused Ankara ofviolating Syria's territorial integrity.

"[Russian President Vladimir Putin] is providing large support to Turkey. We are very grateful tohim forhis position onSyria. The Turkish Army carried outa very successful operation inal-Bab. Today al-Babis controlled bythe Turkish Armed Forces al-Bab is a town that is very important tous strategically I think we would not have been able toconduct a successful operation inal-Bab withoutRussian support and we are very grateful toPutin and Russia Armed Forces forthe cooperation onthat issue," Cevik said.

AFP 2016/ FAYEZ NURELDINE

On Friday, Chief ofthe Turkish General Staff Hulusi Akar said that al-Babwas undercontrol and the goals ofthe Euphrates Shield operation inSyria had been achieved.

Turkey plans toend its operation inSyria aftercapturing the northern city ofManbij fromKurdish militants, Cevik added.

Speaking ata conference onRussian-Turkish relations, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's aide pointed outthat around85 percent ofManbij and its outskirts is controlled bythe Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), viewed byAnkara asa terrorist organizations.

"Turkey will do everything right now torestore the Arab population inManbij, clear it ofKurdish militants. Turkey will stop its operations inSyria afterManbij is taken," Cevik said.

Speaking ata conference onRussian-Turkish relations, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's aide pointed outthat around85 percent ofManbij and its outskirts is controlled bythe Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), viewed byAnkara asa terrorist organization.

According toCevik, the Turkish Armed Forces have moved 90 kilometers, or about56 miles, intothe center ofSyria.

On Friday, Chief ofthe Turkish General Staff Hulusi Akar said that the Syrian town ofal-Bab was undercontrol.

The Euphrates Shield operation byTurkey and Syrian opposition began onAugust 24, 2016. The city ofJarabulus innorthern Syria was taken beforethe offensive onAl Bab began. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the aim ofthe operation was toclear the region ofterrorists and make it a safety zone forrefugees.

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Turkey Grateful to Russia for Support in Al-Bab Operation - Erdogan's Aide - Sputnik International