- President Asif Ali Zardari meets President Erdogan in Istanbul.
- Both leaders exchange cordial remarks during their interaction.
- Discuss bilateral relations and various matters of mutual interest.
Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to visit Pakistan this week as part of his four-day trip to three Asian countries also including Malaysia and Indonesia.
President Erdogan’s tour, commencing from today, will see him visit Malaysia which will be followed by Indonesia meaning he will land in Islamabad last, Daily Sabah reported on Monday.
During his visit, President Erdogan will take up various aspects of bilateral relations and his meetings will focus on improving cooperation in various fields.
The tour, also confirmed in a post on the president’s social media account, comes after President Asif Ali Zardari called on his Turkish counterpart during a brief stop at Istanbul Airport in Turkiye.
During their meeting, the two leaders exchanged cordial remarks and discussed bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest.
President Erdogan’s visit comes against the backdrop of increased cooperation between Ankara and Islamabad, especially in the defence sector with Pakistan inking a deal to procure Turkish vessels for the Pakistan Navy (PN).
The two countries also conducted a bilateral naval exercise Turgutreis-XI in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in January.
The exercise was meticulously planned to enhance interoperability between the two navies, as participating units engaged in a variety of maritime operations and tactical manoeuvres.
Throughout the exercise, both navies reaffirmed their mutual commitment to strengthening cooperation in addressing emerging maritime challenges and ensuring regional maritime security.
Prior to that, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had met President Erdogan in September 2024 on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York where the latter commended the former for successfully improving Pakistan’s macroeconomic indicators and expressed optimism about Pakistan’s continued economic progress under PM Shehbaz’s leadership.
The Turkish president’s visit also holds significance on the diplomatic front as various leaders have visited Pakistan in recent times with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko being the last foreign leader to visit Islamabad back in November 2024.
