Istanbul (TDI): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday departed for Iran after concluding his two-day official visit to Turkiye.
The Prime Minister will arrive in Tehran where he would meet the Iranian leadership.
At the airport, he was seen off by Minister of National Defense of Turkiye Yasar Guler, Deputy Governor Istanbul Ilker Haktankacmaz, Ambassador of Pakistan in Turkiye Yousaf Junaid, President Pakistan Turkiye Cultural Association Burhan Kayaturk, Consul General Nauman Aslam, senior officials of Turkiye and staff members of Pakistan Embassy, according to a statement issued by the PM Office.
The purpose of Prime Minister’s visit to Turkiye was to express the deepest appreciation and acknowledgment for the support extended to Pakistan by the people of Turkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the recent tensions with India.
During the meeting between PM Shehbaz and President Erdogan, both leaders reaffirmed their principled support for each other’s core concerns, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
The Prime Minister called for joint ventures and increased bilateral investment, underlining major sectors such as renewable energy, IT, infrastructure development, defense production, and agriculture as promising areas for collaboration.
They also discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral ties and reiterated their commitment to elevate the strategic partnership.
Both leaders reviewed the progress on key decisions made during the seventh session of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), held in Islamabad on February 13.
They reaffirmed their commitment to achieving the previously agreed $5 billion annual bilateral trade target.
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Alongside bilateral matters, they exchanged views on critical regional and global developments.
Both leaders also expressed concern over the serious humanitarian situation in Gaza, urgently demanding an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to the affected Palestinian population.
PM Shehbaz, who was accompanied by Field Marshal Gen. Syed Asim Munir, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the government and people of Turkiye for their strong support to Pakistan during the recent tensions with India.
He praised Ankara’s principled stance and the firm support of goodwill of the Turkish people for Pakistan and termed it as a source of great comfort and strength for Islamabad.
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He highlighted the unwavering commitment, courage and spirit of sacrifice shown by of Pakistan armed forces, along with their exceptional patriotism, which played a key role in the country’s success in Marak-i-Haq and Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.
Following his two-day visit to Turkiye and Iran, Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Azerbaijan and Tajikistan this week.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
