Islamabad: Pakistan and Türkiye have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties, pledging to stand by each other on issues of mutual interest while setting a target of increasing annual bilateral trade to $5 billion.
The commitment came during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the 17th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit, where the two leaders reviewed progress on political, economic and strategic cooperation.
How do the two countries plan to expand economic cooperation?
The two leaders agreed to accelerate efforts to boost trade and investment, reiterating their goal of raising bilateral trade volume to $5 billion.
They also reviewed progress on decisions taken during the seventh session of the Pakistan-Türkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council and stressed the importance of enhancing collaboration in trade, investment, energy, defence, infrastructure and regional connectivity.
What did the leaders say about their strategic partnership?
Prime Minister Shehbaz and President Erdoğan reaffirmed the longstanding brotherly relationship between Pakistan and Türkiye and reiterated their resolve to continue supporting each other on matters of mutual interest.
The leaders emphasised the importance of maintaining close coordination on regional and international issues and agreed to deepen cooperation across multiple sectors.
Which regional and global issues were discussed?
The meeting included an exchange of views on key regional and international developments, including the situations in Gaza, Iran and South Asia.
Both leaders expressed concern over humanitarian challenges in Gaza and underscored the need for peace, stability and dialogue in the region.
What did Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif say?
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appreciated Türkiye’s consistent support for Pakistan and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.
He also congratulated President Erdoğan on the successful hosting of recent diplomatic engagements and expressed confidence that bilateral cooperation would continue to expand.
What did President Erdoğan reaffirm?
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with Pakistan and reaffirmed Ankara’s support for strengthening economic, strategic and diplomatic ties.
He also stressed the importance of maintaining close engagement through existing bilateral mechanisms to advance shared interests and regional stability.