Istanbul, 13 Feb. 2025, (Anadolu News)

The Turkish president said Thursday he agreed with Pakistani prime minister to intensify efforts aimed at reaching a bilateral trade volume of $5 billion.

"We agree with the prime minister to increase our efforts to reach the target of $5 billion dollars in trade volume," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at joint news conference with Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad.

In light of the deep-rooted historical ties between the two nations, the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, which was established in 2009, stands as the highest-level mechanism institutionalizing Türkiye-Pakistan solidarity, Erdogan said.

“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,” the president added.

Erdogan said they organized a business forum with the participation of entrepreneurs from various sectors, emphasizing: "We encourage our investors, who are the driving force of economic cooperation, to engage more actively in Pakistan."

Erdogan arrived in the Pakistani Capital Islamabad on an official visit on Wednesday, after visiting Malaysia and Indonesia.

Solidarity during difficult times, security cooperation

The Turkish leader stressed that another testament to the exceptional ties between Ankara and Islamabad is their solidarity during difficult times, recalling that after the Feb. 6 earthquakes in 2023, Sharif was the first foreign leader to visit the affected region.

On security matters, he acknowledged Pakistan's great sacrifices in combating terrorism and threats to regional stability, saying: "We reaffirm our support for Pakistan in its fight against all forms of terrorism."

Erdogan reaffirmed Türkiye's appreciation for Pakistan’s support in counter-terrorism efforts. "We feel Pakistan’s support in our fight against all forms of terrorism, including the PKK, YPG, Daesh (ISIS), and FETO," he said.

He said Türkiye continues to stand in solidarity with the Kashmiris, just as it did in the past, and said: "As Türkiye, our support for resolving the Kashmir issue through dialogue, based on UN resolutions and taking into account the expectations of our Kashmiri brothers, remains permanent.”

“Pakistan's support for the just cause of the Turkish Cypriots is extremely meaningful to us,” he added.

In the same news conference, Sharif had expressed Pakistan's "unwavering" support for Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

Palestine issue

Emphasizing that Ankara appreciates Islamabad's stance on the Palestinian issue, Erdogan said Türkiye and Pakistan strive to provide the necessary support for the just cause of the Palestinians at the UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and other platforms.

Referring to US President Donald Trump's proposal to displace Gazans from their homeland, Erdogan said at a time when unlawful proposals are being made to displace Gazan from their homeland, “we believe we must strengthen our resolute stance.”

"We will persistently strive for the establishment of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine, based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and maintaining its territorial integrity,” he added.

President Erdogan also met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at the President House Islamabad. Welcoming President Erdogan, and his delegation, President Asif Ali Zardari said that Pakistan and Turkiye enjoyed historic fraternal ties and supported each other on various international fora. He underscored that President Erdogan’s visit held special significance for the people of Pakistan and would help further solidify bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday thanked President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Madam Emine Erdogan for visiting Pakistan along with a high powered delegation.

In a post on X, he said, “I thank my dear brother President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and my respected sister Madam Emine Erdogan , for honoring us with their gracious presence and for bringing along a high-powered delegation from Turkiye.”

“The people of Pakistan deeply value and appreciate President Erdogan’s unwavering commitment to Pakistan-Turkiye brotherly ties. I am confident that the important decisions taken during this historic visit will take our bilateral cooperation to new levels. I look forward to continue working closely with President Erdogan on this journey of peace, progress and prosperity.