Turkey's Erdogan congratulates President Zardari on assuming office

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan telephones Asif Ali Zardari.
• Zardari says want to see role of Turkish women in the Islamic world.
• He also desires to soon invite President Erdogan to visit Pakistan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday to congratulate him on assuming the office of the head of the state.

The President’s Secretariat, in a statement, said both presidents exchanged views on matters of bilateral importance and underscored the need for further improving cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

President Zardari thanked the Turkish president for his telephone call and warm wishes.

“President Asif Ali Zardari wished Happy Ramadan to Turkish nation and desired to see the role of Turkish women in the Islamic world,” read the statement.

He also desired to soon invite President Erdogan to visit Pakistan.

Zardari was elected as the country's president for the second term last week with an overwhelming majority after securing 411 electoral votes from parliament and all four provincial assemblies.

Besides the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the newly elected president had the backing of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-Pakistan) and other smaller parties.

Since his election as the president, several head of states including Chinese President Xi Jingping, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon among other have congratulated Zardari on assuming the country's top office.

In his congratulatory message, President Xi said that his country is "ready to work with" newly elected President Zardari and termed China and Pakistan as good neighbours, and partners. 

The Chinese president said that the two countries' iron-clad friendship is a choice of history and a precious treasure of the two peoples, according to state-run Xinhua.

Xi noted that the two countries have in recent years maintained close high-level exchanges, supported each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, achieved fruitful results in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and maintained a high level of development of bilateral relations.