Pakistan and Turkiye on Saturday agreed to further strengthen their economic relationship and reaffirmed their commitment to increasing bilateral trade to the previously agreed target of $5 billion.
Joint Press Conference in Istanbul
Addressing a joint press conference with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the two leaders discussed measures to enhance trade and investment relations in a manner befitting the spirit of solidarity between the two countries. "We have reaffirmed our target of increasing our trade volume to the previously settled level of $5 billion," President Erdogan said.
Special Economic Zone and Financial Talks
He added that the relevant ministries of both countries were working on the planned special economic zone for businesspeople in Karachi, while negotiations were continuing to expand the financial trade agreement. Encouraging investors to increase their business activities in Pakistan, President Erdogan described defence cooperation as the cornerstone of economic relations between the two countries, saying it continued to grow stronger with new projects.
Praise for Pakistan's Peace Efforts
The Turkish president also praised Pakistan's peace efforts, saying they had contributed to ending the US-Iran war and led to the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. "The entire world has had a sigh of relief thanks to the calm achieved through the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding," he said, while congratulating PM Shehbaz for playing "a measure role" in the mediation process and achieving the outcome. He said Turkiye had supported and continued to support efforts aimed at reducing tensions in the region and resolving issues through diplomatic means.
Criticism of Israel's Actions
Commenting on the regional situation, President Erdogan criticised Israel's actions in Lebanon and said Turkiye was closely monitoring what he described as provocations by the Israeli administration aimed at sabotaging the Memorandum of Understanding. "The Zionist massacre team has tied his political survival to the continuation of conflicts in the region and the Israeli occupying forces are also continuing their unlawful and inhuman attacks on the people of Gaza," he said. He added that Turkiye sought the establishment of an environment in which all peoples of the region, regardless of their faith, could live in peace and security, saying the country was making every effort to help create such an environment.
Areas for Deeper Cooperation
Erdogan said Ankara wants to deepen cooperation with Islamabad in energy, transportation, critical minerals and information technologies.
