At an international forum in Turkmenistan marking the 30th anniversary of the country’s permanent neutrality on December 12, a scheduled bilateral meeting between Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin took an unexpected turn.
According to a video shared by RT India, Sharif — who was waiting with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar — was kept aside for around 40 minutes as his meeting with Putin was delayed. Growing visibly impatient, the Pakistani leader eventually walked into a closed-door session where Putin was already engaged in talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, apparently hoping to secure at least a brief interaction.
Sharif left the venue roughly 10 minutes later.
The moment, captured on camera, quickly circulated on social media, prompting mockery and criticism. Several users characterised the incident as a diplomatic embarrassment, with some suggesting it signalled Pakistan’s weakened standing on the global stage.
The event itself commemorated Turkmenistan’s UN-recognised status of permanent neutrality, granted on December 12, 1995. The policy commits the Central Asian nation to non-alignment, abstention from conflicts except in self-defence, and restrictions on foreign military presence within its borders.
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