The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif agreed on Saturday to deepen bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and strategic sectors during talks in Istanbul.
Speaking at a joint news conference following the meeting, Erdoğan said the two leaders reviewed measures to strengthen economic ties and discussed expanding cooperation in defense, energy, transportation, critical minerals and information technology.
He described defense industry cooperation as a cornerstone of the economic relationship between the two countries, adding that collaboration is growing through new joint projects.
Erdoğan also said Türkiye and Pakistan are moving forward with plans to establish a special economic zone in Pakistan's port city of Karachi for Turkish businesses.
On regional developments, the Turkish president welcomed the recently signed U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, saying it had helped reduce regional tensions. He added that Türkiye would continue working closely with what he described as "brotherly" countries, particularly Pakistan, to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
Sharif, for his part, emphasized the longstanding ties between Türkiye and Pakistan and expressed confidence that bilateral trade would reach the two countries' target of $5 billion.
