Antalya (TDI): Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, reached Turkey on Friday where she was welcomed by Deputy Governor Dr. Saad Aoglo at Antalya Airport.
The Chief Minister has arrived in Turkey to attend the forth edition of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2025. She will be speaking at the International Conference on Building the Future in a Divided World: Education! A Power to Bring Change.
Upon her arrival, she attended the inaugural/opening session of the Forum where she met Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and First Lady Emine Erdogan, Former Vice President of Turkey and Vice Chairman of the AK Party Fawad Qatay.
She also later attended the dinner hosted by President Erdogan and had a separate meeting with the First Lady. She was reported commenting on the strong relationship between Pakistan and Turkey.
“Pakistan-Turkiye relations are not mere diplomatic but are based on devotion, love and trust.”
Senior Provincial Minister of Punjab, Marriyum Aurangzeb, is also accompanying the CM on this visit.
At the opening session, the President delivered his remarks: “I hope that the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which has become a global brand where the pulse of diplomacy beats, will be a blessing for the whole world, for all humanity, and especially for the oppressed and victimized in our geography.”
“Today in Antalya, we declare once again to the world that we prefer dialogue over conflicts, common sense over polarization, and global conscience over power competition,” he added.
It is expected that CM Maryam Nawaz will highlight her province’s initiatives in the field of education, especially for women and girls.
This is the CM’s first visit to Turkey since she assumed the office. Maryam Nawaz is the daughter of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif and is holding a political office for the first time.
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum is taking place in Turkey from 11-13 April, with a line up of important panel discussions, roundtables, and leader talks.
Nuzhat Rana is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
