ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday received strong assurances of support from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who pledged solidarity with the South Asian country over the devastation caused by recent monsoon floods and vowed to work in close coordination with Islamabad on global challenges, including Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The two leaders met in the Chinese city of Tianjin on the sidelines of the 25th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State.
During the talks, Erdoğan accused Israel of seeking to expand what he described as a “genocidal policy” in Gaza, adding that Türkiye stood “on the same line with Pakistan” in opposing it.
Erdoğan emphasised that both nations would continue coordinated efforts to counter Israel’s actions.
At the same time, the Turkish president expressed grief over the loss of more than 700 lives in Pakistan’s ongoing monsoon calamity and the extensive financial damages.
“Türkiye stands shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan in this difficult time,” he said, adding that his government and people would continue to extend support.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), over 356 fatalities have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 38 in Punjab—where some 750,000 people have been displaced—while Karachi has witnessed at least 10 deaths amid severe urban flooding.
The two leaders also reviewed bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors, including trade, energy, defence, and security.
Erdoğan expressed satisfaction over the development of ties between Pakistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), calling Islamabad’s solidarity “valuable.”
On regional affairs, Erdoğan reiterated Türkiye’s firm stance on preserving Syria’s unity and territorial integrity, opposing any move that could destabilize the conflict-torn country.
Pakistan and Türkiye share longstanding fraternal ties rooted in historical, cultural, and religious bonds. In recent years, the partnership has expanded into defence production, strategic cooperation, and enhanced trade, with both governments working to elevate annual bilateral trade to new levels.
The High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, co-chaired by the two heads of government, serves as a promising platform for taking the partnership to new levels in the future.
Their engagement in Tianjin also reflects a far-reaching alignment within the SCO, a regional bloc which brings together China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Central Asian states.
Türkiye, although not a full member, has actively sought to deepen engagement with the SCO, seeing it as a forum to advance regional security and economic cooperation.
For Pakistan, the SCO offers an avenue to strengthen partnerships with key regional players at a time when its economy and security landscape are under strain.
The Shehbaz-Erdoğan meeting, thus, underscored a convergence of views on pressing global issues, from Gaza to climate-induced disasters, while reaffirming Islamabad and Ankara’s shared resolve to expand strategic cooperation under regional and international platforms.
