Pakistan and Turkiye have reaffirmed their deep-rooted partnership with a renewed commitment to strengthen cooperation across a wide range of sectors — from defence and trade to education and infrastructure.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Islamabad, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan outlined their shared vision of enhancing bilateral trade to $5 billion in the near future.
Dar highlighted the ongoing progress of the 12 Joint Standing Committees under the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), noting that all committees have either met or will meet soon. He also announced that the Joint Ministerial Commission — co-chaired by Turkiye’s Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan — will convene shortly to further boost economic collaboration.
Pakistan is pushing ahead with plans to establish a Special Economic Zone in Karachi specifically for Turkish businesses, and efforts are underway to revive the Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad rail corridor, which would significantly improve regional connectivity.
Dar praised Turkiye’s advances in defence manufacturing and expressed interest in learning from its experience. He also confirmed the allocation of land in Muzaffarabad for a Maarif school and pointed to several potential joint ventures, including the Jinnah Medical Complex, Danish University, offshore drilling, and participation in Pakistan’s power sector privatisation.
Other areas of cooperation include ship-breaking, water management, and counter-terrorism training — all seen as steps towards the 8th HLSCC meeting, to be held in Turkiye next year.
Hailing Pakistan as a “trusted friend,” FM Hakan Fidan praised the outcomes of the meeting and stressed the goal of expanding cooperation in energy, mining, education, and transport. He also called for stronger connectivity via land, air, sea, and rail.
Touching on regional affairs, Fidan commended Pakistan’s calm approach during recent tensions with India, saying the international community had witnessed Islamabad’s wise and peaceful stance.
