PM Shehbaz to embark on Turkiye visit tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to visit Ankara on Tuesday for high-level talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, focusing on strengthening bilateral ties and discussing regional issues. 

During the visit, the premier will hold extensive discussions with President Erdogan on bilateral relations as well as exchange views on recent developments in the region and beyond, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO).

"As longstanding allies and strategic partners, Pakistan and Turkiye maintain a tradition of regular high-level exchanges, reflecting the exceptional bonds of brotherhood between the two nations," it said.

The two countries also have an institutionalised leadership-level mechanism in the form of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) for cooperation and coordination on various issues of mutual interest.

Established in 2009, HLSCC is the highest decision-making forum between the two countries, guiding bilateral relations through joint standing committees covering trade, investment, defence, energy, agriculture, health and education.

The 7th session of HLSCC was held in Islamabad in February 2025. President Erdogan and PM Shehbaz had co-chaired the session.

"The upcoming meeting represents a continuation of this robust dialogue and underscores the shared commitment to further elevate the multifaceted partnership between Pakistan and Turkiye," the statement concluded.

The visit comes just months after President Erdogan’s trip to Islamabad in February 2025, during which the two nations signed 24 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and reaffirmed their commitment to boost bilateral trade to $5 billion.

Key agreements included expanding the Trade in Goods Agreement (TGA), enhancing defence cooperation, and facilitating Turkish investments in Pakistan.

Both leaders had also pledged to operationalise the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul trade corridor and strengthen collaboration in energy, finance, and digital trade.

“We have agreed with Prime Minister Sharif to continue our efforts to reach the $5 billion trade volume target between Turkiye and Pakistan,” Erdogan said. “To this end, we are expanding the scope of our current goods trade agreement as a first step.”

Bilateral trade between Turkiye and Pakistan reached a record high of $1.4bn in 2024, rising nearly 30% from the previous year.

Both leaders expressed optimism about building on this momentum, with Erdogan urging Turkish investors to engage more actively in Pakistan’s growing market.