Türkiye was the first country to reach out to Islamabad and condemn India’s cross-border air strikes that killed 31 civilians in the early hours of Wednesday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday.

Speaking to TRT World in an exclusive interview, Dar said Türkiye was the first country to issue a formal statement of condemnation over India’s aggression that has raised fears of a broader regional conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations.

“This morning after the attack, which was almost past midnight, around 1 am, the first call I received was from foreign minister of Türkiye,” said Dar, who also holds the office of the country’s deputy prime minister.

In response to India’s precision strikes at what it called “terrorist camps” in Pakistan, the Pakistan Air Force downed five Indian jets across the border, including three French Rafale fighter aircraft.

Separately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone and expressed Türkiye’s readiness to “do its utmost to prevent further escalation of tensions” between India and Pakistan.

Erdogan expressed Türkiye’s solidarity with Pakistan, extended his condolences to the Pakistani martyrs, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Calling it “a very supportive statement”, Dar said Erdogan’s words showed Türkiye is like “a very close brother” to Pakistan.

One of the first ambassadors to reach out to Dar personally and through Pakistan’s Foreign Office following India’s overnight strikes was the Turkish ambassador in Islamabad, Dar added.

“So you can evaluate our brotherhood, our friendship, and closeness,” he added.

Erdogan has expressed support for Pakistan’s “calm and measured approach” to resolve the crisis. The Turkish leader said Pakistan’s proposal for a neutral, transparent, and credible international investigation into the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir is “appropriate”.

A separate statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the attack by India “created a risk of all-out war” and condemned its “provocative” steps and the targeting of civilians.

“We greatly value our friendship and brotherhood with Türkiye,” Dar said.

In addition to Türkiye, other countries and multilateral players like the United Nations have also called for an early resolution of the military dispute between the two countries.

For example, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with his counterparts from India and Pakistan, encouraging both sides to engage in discussions to end the escalating military confrontation, the White House said.

The United Kingdom, Russia and France have also called for ending the dispute through peaceful means.