ISTANBUL: Pakistan and Türkiye have expressed their commitment to increase bilateral trade volume to five billion dollars, while discussing enhanced bilateral trade, investment in economic zones and greater economic cooperation.
Describing Pakistan and Türkiye as “one soul in two bodies,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that the two countries have always stood by each other through every hardship.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan termed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran extremely important for global peace, saying the entire world breathed a sigh of relief over it, and that Türkiye will always continue to support efforts for peace and prosperity. The prime minister and the Turkish president made these remarks while addressing a joint press conference here on Saturday following their meeting.
In his address, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the warm welcome and generous hospitality, describing the relationship between Pakistan and Türkiye as one rooted in shared faith, history, culture and mutual sacrifices. He recalled the support extended by Muslims of the subcontinent during Türkiye’s War of Independence and praised Türkiye’s assistance to Pakistan during natural disasters, particularly the 2022 floods, including President Erdogan’s visit to Muzaffargarh and the First Lady’s donation to flood victims.
The prime minister said Pakistan and Türkiye had always stood by each other in difficult times and reiterated that the two countries were “one soul in two bodies”, inspired by the teachings of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi and Allama Iqbal. He commended Türkiye’s progress under President Erdogan’s leadership and said discussions at the Pakistan-Türkiye Business Forum and his bilateral meeting with the Turkish president focused on boosting investment, particularly in special economic zones, while reaffirming the shared commitment to achieving the $5 billion bilateral trade target.
Referring to common positions and cooperation on global and regional conflicts, Shehbaz said Pakistan supports Türkiye’s stance on the Cyprus issue and thanked Türkiye for its unequivocal position on the Kashmir issue. He said both sides discussed enhancing bilateral cooperation, adding, “Pakistan’s success is Türkiye’s success, and Türkiye’s development is Pakistan’s development. We have to give a new dimension to the Pakistan-Türkiye partnership.”
Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his address, welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation. He expressed grief and sorrow over the tragic incident in Balochistan the other day, which resulted in the loss of several precious lives.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the two sides discussed bilateral relations, as well as regional and global developments, and expressed satisfaction over the growing momentum in Pakistan-Türkiye ties. He described the Islamabad MoU as a significant development that brought relief to the world, thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the people of Pakistan for their efforts, and said Türkiye would continue to support peace and de-escalation in the region.
The Turkish president said that the Israeli administration is carrying out provocative actions to sabotage peace and fueling tensions for its political survival. Erdogan said that Middle East peace efforts could not succeed without regional backing and that Israel must not be allowed to “dynamite” the US-Iran peace deal. “No solution that does not take strength from the will and contributions of regional countries can be lasting. We are closely following the Israeli administration’s attempts to dynamite the (US-Iran) deal... The current war-addicted Israeli government must not be allowed to drown our geography in the smell of gunpowder and blood again,” Erdogan said.
Erdogan reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to standing by Pakistan and expanding cooperation in defence, energy, information technology, transport and minerals. He said both sides also discussed enhancing trade, investment and economic cooperation, including coordination on special economic zones, while reiterating their shared goal of increasing bilateral trade to $5 billion.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a bilateral meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Vahdettin Palace, attended by Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, along with ministers and senior officials from both sides. The two leaders reaffirmed the historic brotherly ties between Pakistan and Türkiye and expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of bilateral relations. They discussed ways to expand cooperation in trade and investment, energy, offshore and onshore petroleum exploration, mines and minerals, and information technology, while reaffirming their commitment to achieving the mutually agreed bilateral trade target of $5 billion.
The leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments. President Erdogan appreciated Pakistan’s mediation efforts between Iran and the United States that led to the signing of the historic Islamabad MoU, while Prime Minister Shehbaz thanked the Turkish president for his strong support for Pakistan’s peace initiatives. They welcomed the close diplomatic coordination between the two countries during the peace process, reaffirmed support for each other’s core interests, and underscored the importance of sustained efforts to ensure lasting regional peace.
Looking ahead to the eighth High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) meeting in Türkiye later this year, Prime Minister Shehbaz extended a warm invitation to President Erdogan to visit Pakistan. During his interaction with journalists in Istanbul, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed the hope that Iran and the United States would achieve durable peace within the next two months.
Meanwhile, the prime minister invited Turkish businessmen and investors to invest in Pakistan’s sectors of industry, mines and minerals, power, information technology and participate in the country’s privatisation process. He was speaking at a Pakistan-Türkiye Business Conference attended by Turkish and Pakistani ministers and businessmen. He said the Pakistani delegation was in Turkiye to explore economic opportunities. He declared that his government had earmarked 1,000 acres for Turkish investors in President Erdogan’s special economic zone in Karachi.
Turkiye, under the leadership of President Erdogan, had made tremendous strides in industry, automobile sector, textiles and agriculture in the last 20 years, the prime minister noted, adding that Pakistan wanted to learn from the success of Turkiye in the process of privatisation and setting up special economic zones.
He said Pakistan was willing to sign government-to-government agreements with Turkiye to attract investment. He said Turkiye was one of the staunchest allies of Pakistan around the globe.Shehbaz recalled that Pakistan, with the support of President Erdogan, had been able to mediate peace between the United States and Iran. “It was not an easy but an uphill task and without the sincere support of President Erdogan, along with other friendly and brotherly countries, the mission would have been impossible. But now a ceasefire had taken place and Islamabad memorandum of understanding had been signed by presidents of US, Iran and himself and now there was tremendous potential for benefits for the entire region,” he explained.
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Y lmaz said Türkiye was ready to open new avenues of cooperation with Pakistan, describing the relationship as one founded on brotherhood rather than mutual interests alone. He praised Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability, particularly its diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East, and reaffirmed the two countries’ shared goal of increasing bilateral trade to $5 billion through the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
Earlier, Pakistani ministers invited Turkish investors to explore opportunities in infrastructure, energy, aviation, health, industry and information technology. Prime Minister’s Adviser on Privatisation Muhammad Ali highlighted Pakistan’s improving economic indicators and privatisation programme, while Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik outlined investment opportunities in oil, gas, mining and refining. Power Minister Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari detailed reforms to modernise the electricity sector, and IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Pakistan’s IT exports were growing by 20 per cent.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Turkcell Chief Executive Officer Ali Taha Koç in Istanbul. He proposed establishing a Pakistan-Türkiye Digital Corridor and invited Turkcell to collaborate in 5G, digital infrastructure, technology transfer, telecommunications manufacturing, software development and digital skills.
The prime minister also held meetings with senior executives of Çal k Holding, Albayrak Group and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye encouraging greater Turkish investment in Pakistan’s energy, mining, infrastructure, maritime, logistics, telecommunications, agriculture and manufacturing sectors. The Turkish business leaders appreciated Pakistan’s economic reforms and reaffirmed their interest in expanding long-term investments.
In a related development, Prime Minister Shehbaz, in a post on X, said he had paid his respects and conveyed Pakistan’s condolences to the government and people of Iran at the funeral ceremony of the late Supreme Leader, Shaheed Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei. “As a brotherly neighbour, Pakistan stands with Iran in this time of grief,” he added.
