ISTANBUL, Turkiye: As part of a four-nation tour, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul to discuss further expanding bilateral cooperation across different sectors including defence, economy, tourism and culture.
President Erdogan received PM Sharif at the Dolmabahce Working Office in Istanbul, Turkiye’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The meeting of the two leaders at the delegation level is underway.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant Tariq Fatimi are attending.
The President of Turkiye will host a dinner in honour of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistani delegation.
During the meeting, Turkiye-Pakistan bilateral relations, a review of the cooperation processes carried out within the scope of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council established between the two countries, and various other international and regional issues are expected to be discussed, Anadolu reported.
Both leaders will hold talks on further expanding cooperation in different fields including defence, economy, tourism and culture, Pakistan’s state-run APP news agency reported.
The last meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council was held in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, last February, with the participation of Erdogan.
The aim of the Prime Minister’s visit is to thank the people of Turkiye especially President Erdogan for fully supporting and cooperating with Pakistan during the recent tension between Pakistan and India.
Like always, Turkiye this time also fully supported Pakistan’s principled position after India imposed war on the country.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Istanbul, Turkiye, on the first leg of his four-nation regional tour aimed at thanking Pakistan’s allies for their support during the recent standoff with India.
On arrival at the airport, PM Sharif was received by Turkiye’s Defence Minister Yashar Guler, Istanbul’s Deputy Governor Erdogan Turan Ermis, Pakistan’s ambassador in Turkiye Yousaf Junaid, Pakistan’s Counsel General in Istanbul Nouman Aslam, high-level officials of the government of Turkiye and Pakistani diplomats based in Turkiye.
Turkiye’s visit marks the first leg of Prime Minister Sharif’s four-nation official visit. The visit aims to strengthen bilateral ties and discuss regional and international issues.
After Turkiye, the Prime Minister will visit Iran, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan.
“During the visit, the Prime Minister will have wide-ranging discussions with the leaders of these countries on an entire range of issues covering bilateral relations and matters of regional and international importance,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press release.
He will also have the opportunity to express the deepest appreciation and acknowledgement for the support extended to Pakistan by the friendly countries during the recent crisis with India.
The Prime Minister will also be attending the International Conference on Glaciers in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to be held on 29-30 May.
It is worth mentioning that the brotherly Islamic nations of Turkey and Azerbaijan had publicly declared their support for Pakistan during the recent conflict with India.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed that Turkey would stand by the people of Pakistan in both good and difficult times.
“During the meeting, bilateral relations, regional and international issues, including the fight against terrorism, will be discussed,” Erdogan’s head of communications Fahrettin Altun said on X.
Cumhurbaşkanımız Sayın Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, bugün İstanbul’daki Dolmabahçe Çalışma Ofisinde Pakistan Başbakanı Sayın Şahbaz Şerif’i kabul edeceklerdir.
Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımızın Sayın Şerif’i kabulünde, Türkiye-Pakistan ikili ilişkileri çeşitli veçheleriyle değerlendirilecek;…
— Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) May 25, 2025
Altun said “various aspects of bilateral relations between Turkiye and Pakistan will be evaluated”, according to a Google translation of his post.
The Turkish official said that joint steps taken within the scope of the Pakistan-Turkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council as per the two leaders’ last meeting in February will be reviewed.
While in Tajikistan — likely the last leg of his tour — the premier will also attend the International Conference on Glaciers being held in its capital, Dushanbe, on May 29 and 30.
As tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi escalated, with India launching deadly strikes on Pakistan on May 6, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had conveyed his solidarity to the prime minister and said it supported Pakistan’s “calm and restrained policies”.
Following the tit-for-tat airbase attacks and a US-brokered ceasefire between the two neighbours, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev had “warmly congratulated PM Sharif upon Pakistan’s remarkable success”, according to the PM Office.
Iran had also offered to mediate during the escalation and paid a visit to both Islamabad and New Delhi in peace efforts, which were appreciated by PM Sharif and the military’s spokesperson.
The diplomatic support voiced by Turkiye and Azerbaijan stoked anger in India as people cancelled their holidays in popular resorts in the two countries.
PM Sharif’s tour adds to Pakistan’s spree of diplomatic engagement amid tensions with New Delhi.
A high-level diplomatic delegation is also set to visit important world capitals to counter Indian propaganda related to the escalation and the deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
“The delegation will visit London, Washington, Paris and Brussels to highlight India’s disinformation campaign and its attempts to destabilise regional peace,” Radio Pakistan had said.
