In a major move to strengthen bilateral ties, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed 24 cooperation agreements across various sectors on February 13, 2025, following the seventh meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Islamabad.
The meeting, which followed a one-on-one discussion between the two leaders at the Prime Minister’s office, culminated in the signing of a joint declaration titled ‘Deepening, Diversifying, and Institutionalizing the Strategic Partnership.’ This declaration reaffirms both nations’ commitment to strengthening their relationship and forms the basis for the 24 comprehensive agreements covering defense, energy, trade, agriculture, technology, and other key areas.
The high-ranking Turkish officials accompanying Erdogan, included Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Defense Minister Yaşar Guler, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacıir, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli and Trade Minister Omer Bolat.
Erdoğan arrived in Pakistan as part of a three-nation tour in Asia. Pakistan is the last leg of his Asia tour that began in Malaysia and continued in Indonesia.
Pakistan rolls out red carpet for President Erdogan
Turkish President Erdogan, accompanied by a high-level delegation and his first lady, arrived in Pakistan’s capital late on February 12. At the Nur Khan Airbase, he was greeted by his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior government officials.
Pakistani government rolled out a red carpet to welcome Turkish President. He was also resented with a 21-gun salute. Later as he arrived at the prime minister’s house, he was given guard of honor and Air Force jets did a fly past in honor of the Turkish president.
The roads of Islamabad were decorated with Turkish and Pakistani flags, and cultural performances were held to greet Erdogan. Following the formal ceremony, a live band played the national anthems of both countries.
Erdogan is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Sharif, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Pakistan and Turkiye vow to achieve $5 billion bilateral trade target
During a joint news conference in Islamabad, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif agreed to intensify efforts to reach a bilateral trade volume target of $5 billion.
Erdogan highlighted the significance of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, established in 2009, as the highest-level mechanism fostering Türkiye-Pakistan solidarity. “We agree with the prime minister to increase our efforts to reach the target of $5 billion dollars in trade volume,” Erdogan stated. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their relationship during the seventh meeting of the council.
“We have just concluded the seventh meeting of our council, where we reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthening our relations. Within this framework, we signed 24 agreements covering trade, water resources, agriculture, energy, culture, family and social services, science, banking, education, defense, and healthcare,” Turkish President added.
“Turkish investors will be encouraged to engage more in Pakistan and develop flagship projects,” Erdogan told reporters after the meeting. “Our military dialogue and cooperation in the defense industry have grown our trade and investment relations exponentially.”
Addressing the Pakistan-Turkiye Business Forum in Islamabad, Pakistan PM Sharif said: “Today we signed various MoUs and agreements but the more important point is that we need to convert them from paper to action. In that, I am fully committed to supporting all your efforts.”
Agreements signed between Turkiye and Pakistan
- Strategic Cooperation: PM Shehbaz Sharif and President Erdogan signed the joint declaration of the 7th High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) meeting to strengthen Pakistan-Turkiye ties.
- Finance & Trade:
- MoU between Export Credit Bank of Turkiye and Export-Import Bank of Pakistan exchanged by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Turkish Minister of Trade Omer Bolat.
- MoUs on verification of origin certificates in trade and digitalisation exchanged by Minister of Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Minister Omer Bolat.
- MoU on industrial property cooperation exchanged by Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacir.
- Defense:
- MoU on military and civilian personnel exchange signed by Defense Ministers Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Yasar Guler.
- MoUs on cooperation in Air Force Electronic Warfare and collaboration between Defense Industries Secretariat and Ministry of Defense Production exchanged.
- Training and cooperation protocol in military health signed by Defense Ministers.
- Aerospace: MoU between Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Pakistan’s Naval Research and Development Institute exchanged.
- Science & Technology:
- MoU on halal trade cooperation signed by Minister Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Minister Omer Bolat.
- MoU on establishing Legal Metrology Infrastructure exchanged by Dr. Siddiqui and Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir.
- Agriculture & Food Security:
- Seed Protocol cooperation agreement exchanged by Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain and Minister Ibrahim Yumakli.
- Cooperation agreement on water signed by Minister Hussain and Minister Yumakli.
- Energy:
- Protocol amending hydrocarbons cooperation agreement signed by Minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari and Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.
- MoUs on energy transition and mining cooperation exchanged.
- Public Relations & Communications:
- MoUs on PR and media cooperation exchanged by Minister Attaullah Tarar and Director Fahrettin Altun.
- Religious Affairs: MoU on cooperation in religious services and education exchanged by Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain and Professor Dr. Ali Ebras.
- Textile & Technology: MoU on technical assistance for the Pakistan-Turkiye Textile Technology Centre exchanged by Dr. Siddiqui and Minister Kacir.
- Health & Pharmaceuticals: MoU on technical cooperation exchanged by Minister Hussain and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
- Financial Cooperation: MoU on technical cooperation between Central Bank of Turkiye (CBRT) and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) exchanged by Finance Minister Aurangzeb and Foreign Minister Fidan.
- Cultural Cooperation:
- Agreements on cultural cooperation and co-production in audio-visual services exchanged by Minister Tarar and Minister Fidan.
- Business Forum: Two MoUs were signed during the Pakistan-Turkiye Business Forum.
Emine Erdoğan advocates for sustainability in Pakistan at Zero Waste event
During her official visit to Islamabad on February 13, First Lady Emine Erdoğan participated in the event “Advancing the Circular Economy: A Pakistan-Türkiye Partnership for Sustainability,” hosted by Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
Emine Erdoğan emphasized the deep, brotherly relationship between Türkiye and Pakistan, noting their shared loyalty and sacrifices. She addressed the environmental challenges, particularly climate change, highlighting the heavy toll on nature due to unsustainable production and consumption. She called for a “holistic approach” to climate issues and stressed the importance of implementing circular economy policies to restore ecological balance. Emine Erdoğan also praised Türkiye’s Zero Waste Movement and its global initiatives, including the declaration of March 30 as “International Zero Waste Day” at the UN.
Further, Emine Erdoğan discussed the rising number of climate refugees and urged stronger advocacy for climate justice, emphasizing the disproportionate impact on countries like Pakistan, which contribute minimally to global emissions but suffer from extreme environmental disasters. She also pointed out the vulnerability of disadvantaged groups to climate change, framing it as a human rights issue.
Addressing plastic pollution, she highlighted alarming statistics, including that the world produces 400 million tons of plastic waste annually, with 1 million plastic bottles purchased every minute. Mentioning Türkiye’s success in reducing plastic waste, she also praised the role of women in leading environmental efforts and acknowledged the involvement of Pakistani women.
Later, Emine Erdoğan visited the Pak-Türk Maarif International Schools, engaging with students and participating in exhibitions and performances focused on sustainability and girls’ education.
[…] On February 13, 2025, Pakistan officially named the F-8 and F-9 Interchange in Islamabad after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a gesture of goodwill and solidarity between the two nations. The news was unveiled during President Erdogan’s visit to Islamabad. […]