Pakistan, Turkiye weigh aerospace partnership
Turkish Foreign Minister Fida Hakan and Defence Minister Yasar Guler, who arrived in Islamabad in Tuesday night, held a series of meetings with Pakistani civil and military leaders.
Turkiye has emerged a strong supporter of Pakistan in the wake of recent conflict with India. The presence of Turkish foreign and defence ministers in Islamabad highlighted the deepening cooperation and increased high-level exchanges between the two countries.
While Foreign Minister Hakan, who was also joined by the Defence Minister Guler, held formal talks with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the Foreign Ministry, they met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister's Office, where Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, National Security Adviser and Direcotr General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt General Asim Malik and other senior officials were also present.
The presence of top civil and military leadership of Pakistan highlighted the importance of close ties with Turkey.
Welcoming the Turkish delegation, according to an official handout, the prime minister underscored the longstanding fraternal ties between Pakistan and Turkiye, saying that there relations remain deeply rooted in shared history, culture, and mutual respect.
He expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of bilateral relations and reaffirmed Pakistan's unwavering commitment to further strengthening cooperation with Turkiye in diverse fields, including trade, investment, technology, and defence.
Recalling his interactions with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the year, including the most recent meeting between the two leaders on the margins of the 17th ECO Summit, Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan's firm resolve to transform Pak-Turkiye ties into a strategic partnership in the days to come.
Welcoming the convening of the joint commission meeting, co-chaired by Dar and Fidan, the prime minister expressed the hope that the bilateral relations between the two countries would attain further momentum, leading to bolstering of cooperation in multifaceted areas.
While reiterating the commitment of the both countries to continue their strong and unwavering support for each other's core interests, the prime minister emphasised the need for closer coordination between the two sides amidst the fast evolving regional and global environment, particularly in the context of Gaza and Iran.
He once again expressed his deepest gratitude to the Turkish nation and leadership for their steadfast support to Pakistan during the recent Indian aggression.
The prime minister stressed the need for concerted efforts by both sides to enhance the bilateral trade to the mutually agreed target of $5 billion. Highlighting Pakistan's investor-friendly policies, he invited Turkish companies to expand their investment footprint in Pakistan and invited Turkish side to share its expertise to assist in Pakistan's structural reforms, economic growth and development efforts.
Meanwhile, at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Dar, Fidan underlined the ongoing efforts to boost the bilateral trade volume to $5 billion. He noted that both countries were evaluating cooperation mechanisms in sectors such as mining, natural gas, oil, and rare earth elements.
"In this context, the agreement signed in April between Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and Pakistan's national oil companies represents a highly significant step forward," Fidan said. "This is one of the outcomes of the more institutionalised approach we are working to establish," he added.
Dar said that Islamabad and Ankara have agreed to bolster cooperation in a string of areas, including economy, defence industry, energy and infrastructure. Lauding the Turkish defence industry, Dar said that Islamabad wishes to further strengthen its ongoing strategic and defence industries cooperation and promotion of peace and stability in the region.
The two sides are "actively" engaged in different activities, including capacity building in counterterrorism, said Dar. Turkish companies will also be participating in the privatisation of distribution companies in the power sector, he added.
The two sides, Dar continued, were pursuing the establishment of a special economic zone dedicated to Turkish entrepreneurs in Karachi and Istanbul. "We are actively following up on benefiting from Turkish experience and expertise in shipbreaking and storage and efficient use of agricultural water," Dar said.
He said Islamabad and Ankara agreed to revive the long-dormant joint ministerial commission after a hiatus of 11 years, which will be co-chaired by Pakistan's Commerce Minister Jam Kamal and Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler. "All this work will lay a solid foundation for the eighth high-level Strategic Cooperation Council," which will be held next year in Turkiye, he added.
In a separate engagement, Turkish Defence Minister Guler met with Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu at the Air Headquarters to assess the state of bilateral defence cooperation and discuss emerging regional threats.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), both sides agreed to set up joint working groups to deepen collaboration in aerospace technologies, advanced training, and new domains of warfare.
Guler praised the operational readiness of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), particularly during its recent conflict with India, and expressed interest in expanding industry-to-industry partnerships.
He also emphasised the importance of joint ventures in disruptive technologies, including unmanned aerial systems, advanced avionics and pilot exchange programs. Both sides pledged to enhance joint air exercises and finalise plans for more intensive training cooperation.
The ISPR said that the meeting reflected the "shared commitment of both the brotherly nations to enhance strategic cooperation, solidify defence ties and promote lasting institutional linkages between the Armed Forces of Pakistan and Turkiye".
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