Turkish president congratulates Imran on election victory

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)
Updated 01 August 2018
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Turkish president congratulates Imran on election victory

  • Turkish president also spoke with Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD: President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on the success of his party in the July 25 elections.

He spoke with the Pakistani prime minister-in-waiting over the phone on Tuesday night and extended best wishes for his forthcoming government, the PTI said in a statement.
The two leaders agreed to start a new chapter in bilateral ties, the statement said.
President Erdogan also spoke with Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif.
“What a pleasure to receive a congratulatory phone call from Turkey’s President Erdogan on PML-N emerging as the second largest political party nationally. Assured the brotherly president that I will continue to play my role to further strengthen friendship between our two countries,” Shehbaz Sharif said on Twitter.

He said the Turkish president also inquired about the health of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is serving a 10-year jail term.
Earlier on Tuesday, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi called on Imran Khan and congratulated him on his party’s victory.


Zelensky wants to replace Ukraine’s defense minister

Updated 57 min 19 sec ago
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Zelensky wants to replace Ukraine’s defense minister

  • President has offered the position to his current minister of digital transformation, who is aged just 34
  • No explanation was given for his decision to replace Denys Shmygal

KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday said he intended to replace his defense minister and had offered the position to his current minister of digital transformation, who is aged just 34.
“I have decided to change the structure of the Ukrainian ministry of defense,” Zelensky said in his daily address broadcast on social media. “I have offered Mikhailo Fedorov the position of new Ukrainian defense minister.”
Fedorov, who has been digital transformation minister since 2019, is a relative political novice little-known to the Ukrainian public.
“Mykhailo is deeply involved in issues related to drones and is very effective in the digitalization of state services and processes,” Zelensky added.
Without explaining his decision to replace Denys Shmygal, the Ukrainian leader said he had proposed the incumbent “head another area of government work that is no less important for our stability.”
Zelensky had tapped Shmygal as defense minister just half a year ago, in July 2025.
Besides the turnover at the defense ministry, Zelensky also named Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov to head his presidential office.
Budanov replaces Andriy Yermak, who was among Ukraine’s most powerful people before being engulfed in a corruption scandal dogging some of Zelensky’s former allies.