Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, who is on an official visit to Istanbul, Turkiye, held a bilateral meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an at Vahdettin Palace in Istanbul today.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar along with other ministers and senior officials from both sides.
During their warm and cordial meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed the historic and brotherly ties binding Pakistan and Türkiye, and expressed their shared satisfaction at the positive trajectory of bilateral relations.
They engaged in comprehensive discussions on the entire range of issues and expressed their common resolve to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Turkiye, with special emphasis on trade and investment, energy cooperation, off shore and onshore petroleum exploration, mines and minerals, and information technology.
In this regard, both leaders reaffirmed their desire to realize the mutually agreed trade target of USD 5 billion.
The two leaders also exchanged views on important regional and global developments. President Erdo?an appreciated Pakistan’s mediation efforts between Iran and the US that resulted in the signing of the historic Islamabad MoU. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif thanked President Erdogan for his strong support for Pakistan’s peace efforts. The two leaders also appreciated the close diplomatic coordination between the two countries during the peace process and underscored the importance of sustained efforts to ensure durable and lasting peace in the region.
The two leaders also reaffirmed Pakistan and Turkiye's steadfast support for each other's core issues.
While looking forward to the 8th HLSCC meeting that would be held in Turkiye later this year, the Prime Minister extended a warm and cordial invitation to President Erdogan to undertake a visit to Pakistan.
