Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to visit Ankara on Tuesday for an official meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two leaders will discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and talk about current regional and international developments.
According to the Foreign Office, Pakistan and Turkiye enjoy strong and historic ties, with regular high-level exchanges reflecting their deep friendship.
The countries also collaborate through the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), which was set up in 2009. This council serves as the main platform for both governments to coordinate on issues like trade, defence, energy, health, education, and more.
The last HLSCC meeting was held in Islamabad in February 2025, co-chaired by President Erdogan and PM Shehbaz. During that visit, the two countries signed 24 MoUs and agreed to boost their trade to $5 billion. Key areas of cooperation included expanding their trade agreement, increasing defence collaboration, and encouraging Turkish investments in Pakistan.
Both leaders also agreed to activate the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul trade corridor and explore joint efforts in energy, finance, and digital trade. President Erdogan praised the growing trade ties, noting that trade between the two countries reached $1.4 billion in 2024—a nearly 30% increase from the previous year.
The upcoming meeting in Ankara is expected to continue this positive momentum and further deepen the strong partnership between Pakistan and Turkiye.
