Pakistan, Turkiye vow to elevate strategic partnership to ‘greater heights'

• On arrival at palace, President Erdogan greets PM Shehbaz.
• Premier to attend int’l conference on glaciers in Dushanbe.
• Turkiye’s defence minister welcomed PM Shehbaz upon his arrival.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan Sunday expressed a renewed commitment to further deepen the multifaceted cooperation between Pakistan and Turkiye.

PM Shehbaz, who arrived on an official visit to Turkiye, held a warm and cordial meeting with President Erdogan.

The two leaders pledged to continue working closely for regional peace, sustainable development, and the shared prosperity of their peoples.

The engagement reaffirmed the deep-rooted, historic, and brotherly ties between Pakistan and Turkiye, anchored in shared values, mutual respect, and a common vision for progress and prosperity.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant Tariq Fatimi were among the attendees of the meeting.

PM Shehbaz Sharif expressed heartfelt gratitude to the government and people of Turkiye for their unwavering support to Pakistan during the recent developments in South Asia, underscoring the strength of the fraternal bonds between the two nations.

He lauded Turkiye’s principled stance and the outpouring of support of goodwill of the Turkish people for Pakistan and termed it as a source of great comfort and strength for Pakistan.

The premier highlighted the commitment and courage and the spirit of sacrifice of the armed forces of Pakistan and the resolute patriotism of the people of Pakistan that was demonstrated in an unprecedented manner which contributed greatly to Pakistan’s overwhelming victory in Marak-e-Haq and Operation Bunyanum Marsoos in the defence of our homeland.

Emphasising the need to further strengthen economic cooperation, particularly through joint ventures and enhanced bilateral investment, the premier highlighted key sectors including renewable energy, information technology, defence production, infrastructure development, and agriculture as areas of mutual interest and potential.

The two leaders conducted a comprehensive review of the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and reiterated their resolve to elevate the strategic partnership to greater heights.

They also followed up on the implementation of key decisions taken during the 7th session of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), held in Islamabad on 13 February 2025.

Both sides agreed to take steps for achieving $5 billion annual bilateral trade target as agreed earlier by the two leaders.

In addition to bilateral issues, PM Shehbaz and President Erdogan discussed pressing regional and international developments. Both leaders reaffirmed their principled support for each other’s core concerns, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

Turkish President Erdogan also hosted dinner in honour of PM Shehbaz and the accompanying delegation.

Later, taking to his official X account, the PM thanked the Turkish president for his resolute support to Pakistan in the recent Pakistan-India standoff which resulted in Pakistan's overwhelming victory.

“Conveyed the sentiments of gratitude from the people of Pakistan to their Turkish brothers and sisters,” he added.

“We also reviewed the ongoing progress of our multifaceted bilateral engagements particularly in trade and investment and reaffirmed our resolve to reaffirmed our resolve to continue working closely to further strengthen these unshakable bonds of brotherhood and cooperation,” the premier added.

— With additional input from APP.