Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed multiple agreements on Thursday to enhance the bilateral relationship between Pakistan and Turkey.

President Erdogan arrived in Islamabad shortly after midnight on Thursday and was greeted by PM Shehbaz and President Asif Ali Zardari in Rawalpindi. During his official two-day visit, the two leaders are scheduled to hold several meetings.

Upon his arrival at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad, Erdogan received a warm welcome. A smartly-turned out military contingent presented the guard of honour, accompanied by the national anthems of both nations. After the ceremony, he, along with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, met with cabinet members and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir.

After the signing ceremony, PM Shehbaz expressed his gratitude, stating, “On behalf of the people of Pakistan, my government, and myself, I extend a heartfelt welcome to you in Pakistan, your second home. It is wonderful to have you here after five years.”

Agreements

Pakistan and Turkiye on Thursday exchanged the signed documents of several memorandums of understanding (MoUs), protocols and cooperation agreements in various fields to step-up bilateral ties in various fields.

Below is the list of areas on which agreements were signed between the two sides

• Joint declaration of seventh meeting of High Level Strategic Cooperation Council

• Export Credit Bank of Turkiye and Export Import Bank of Pakistan

• Joint ministerial statement on cooperation of the verification of origin certificates used in trade

• Digitisation of the verification of origin certificates used in trade.

• Industrial property

• Exchange of military and civilian personnel for social and cultural purposes

• Cooperation in Air Force Electronic Warfare

• MoU between Secretariat of Defence Industries and Ministry of Defence Production

• Training and cooperation in the field of military health

• Turkish Aerospace Industries and Naval Research and Development Institute of Pakistan

• Cooperation in halal trade

• MoU on the Establishment of Legal Meteorology Infrastructure

• Seed protocol to amend agreement

• Protocol to amend the agreement on cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons

• Cooperation in the field of energy transition, and cooperation in the field of mining

• Cooperation agreement in the field of water

• Cooperation in the field of public relations and communications

• Cooperation in the fields of religious services and religious education

• Scientific and technological research council Türkiye & National Textile University, Faisalabad, for

• Technical Assistance and development of Pakistan-Türkiye textile technology center

• Technical cooperation in the field of health and pharmaceuticals

• Field of technical cooperation between Central Bank of Turkiye and the State Bank of Pakistan

• Cultural cooperation, and agreement on co-production in audio visual services

• Two MoUs have also been signed at Pakistan-Turkiye Business Forum

Erdogan arrives in Pakistan

Erdogan arrived in Islamabad shortly after midnight on Thursday, receiving a warm reception from President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“My brother President Erdogan is a visionary statesman who has transformed Turkiye,” PM Shehbaz said in a post on X. “Under his dynamic leadership, the historical, deep-rooted brotherly ties between Pakistan and Turkey have grown from strong to stronger.”

The Turkish leader’s visit, which is anticipated to last two days, comes after his trip to Indonesia.

“With this historic visit by President Erdogan, we are ready to carry these strong ties to even greater heights.”

In related news, Pakistan and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reaffirmed their commitment on Wednesday to enhancing their partnership, focusing on the effective use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and pledging to continue their longstanding collaboration.

PM Shehbaz and Turkish President Erdogan would co-chair the seventh Session of the Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Strategic Cooperation Council, according to the Foreign Office. At the conclusion of the session, a joint declaration and agreements/MoUs are expected to be signed. The two leaders would also address a joint press stakeout.

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President Erdogan would also have bilateral meetings with PM Shehbaz and President Zardari. Together with PM Shehbaz, he would address the Pakistan-Turkiye Business and Investment Forum, bringing together leading investors, companies and business people from both sides.

“The High Level Strategic Cooperation Council(HLSCC) is the highest level decision-making forum, providing strategic direction to further strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries. There are a number of Joint Standing Committees(JSCs) under the HLSCC, covering sectors including; trade, investment, banking, finance, culture, tourism, energy, defence, agriculture, transport, communication, IT, health, science and technology and education. So far, six sessions of the HLSCC have been held. The last session was held in Islamabad on February 13-14 2020,” it said.