Istanbul: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, during his official visit to Istanbul, engaged in a bilateral meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Vahdettin Palace. The meeting brought together key officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, alongside ministers and senior representatives from both nations.

According to Press Information Department, the discussions focused on enhancing the historic ties between Pakistan and Turkiye. The leaders expressed satisfaction with the current state of bilateral relations and resolved to fortify cooperation, concentrating on sectors such as trade, investment, energy, and information technology. A mutual goal of achieving a trade target of USD 5 billion was reaffirmed.

The two leaders also discussed regional and global developments, highlighting Pakistan’s mediation efforts between Iran and the US, which led to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. Both leaders emphasized the importance of diplomatic collaboration and sustained peace efforts in the region.

The meeting concluded with Prime Minister Sharif extending an invitation to President Erdogan to visit Pakistan, in anticipation of the upcoming 8th High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting in Turkiye later this year.