Prime Minister Sharif Embarks on Official Visit to Turkey

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has traveled to Turkey for a formal two-day visit following an invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to a statement released by the PM Office, the Prime Minister is accompanied by a high-ranking delegation.

The delegation includes Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi.

During the course of his visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to engage in extensive talks with President Erdogan regarding matters of mutual interest. The two leaders are also anticipated to exchange perspectives on recent regional and international developments.

The statement emphasized that Pakistan and Turkey, as long-standing allies and strategic partners, have a history of regular high-level exchanges, which demonstrates the strong ties between the two countries.

The PM Office further noted that the upcoming meeting will continue the ongoing dialogue and highlight the mutual dedication to strengthening the multifaceted partnership between Pakistan and Turkey.

This trip comes after President Erdogan’s visit to Islamabad in February. During that visit, he and Prime Minister Sharif jointly presided over the 7th session of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), which focused on collaboration and coordination on various topics of shared concern.

During the session, the two nations inked 24 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and reaffirmed their commitment to increasing bilateral trade to $5 billion.

Significant agreements that were made involved expanding the Trade in Goods Agreement (TGA), boosting defense cooperation, and promoting Turkish investment in Pakistan.

Both leaders also pledged to put the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul trade corridor into operation and to deepen cooperation in the areas of energy, finance, and digital trade.

President Erdogan stated that they agreed with Prime Minister Sharif to keep working toward the $5 billion trade volume target between Turkey and Pakistan and that they are broadening the scope of their current goods trade agreement as a first step toward this goal.

In 2024, trade between Turkey and Pakistan reached a new high of $1.4 billion, representing an increase of almost 30% over the prior year.

Both leaders conveyed optimism about building on this momentum, and President Erdogan encouraged Turkish investors to participate more actively in Pakistan’s expanding market.