Pakistan’s embarrassing diplomatic moment: Did PM Sharif 'gatecrash' Putin-Erdogan meeting after 40 mins wait

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif came under public scrutiny on Friday after an unexpected moment during an international forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where he briefly joined a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to reports, Prime Minister Sharif had been waiting for a scheduled interaction with President Putin. After waiting for around 40 minutes, he entered a meeting that was already underway between the Russian and Turkish leaders. Sharif remained in the meeting for approximately 10 minutes before leaving.

The development sparked widespread discussion on social media, with users questioning the handling of the diplomatic engagement and describing the episode as an awkward moment for Pakistan’s leadership. Several posts characterised the incident as a diplomatic embarrassment, while others used satire and criticism to comment on Pakistan’s foreign policy approach.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that President Putin and President Erdogan were holding talks in a restricted format after members of their respective delegations had exited. It added that the Pakistani Prime Minister later joined the meeting, having initially expected a separate discussion with President Putin in another room.

The incident took place on the sidelines of the International Forum for Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, which brought together several world leaders, including Putin, Erdogan, and Sharif, as part of broader discussions on regional and global issues.

Following the event, Prime Minister Sharif posted on X about his meeting with Turkish President Erdogan, describing him as a “time-tested and trusted friend of Pakistan.” He said the two leaders discussed cooperation in trade, energy, defence, connectivity, and investment, along with regional and global developments such as Gaza and Afghanistan.

The episode comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen relations with Russia and follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent high-profile visit to India, where he held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and received a ceremonial welcome.