PM Shehbaz, Turkiye's Erdogan hold bilateral meeting in Istanbul

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a bilateral meeting in Istanbul on Saturday, as the premier undertakes an official visit focused on cooperation in trade and investment.

Erdogan received PM Shehbaz at Vahdettin Palace, where an official welcome ceremony was held. The two leaders then proceeded to a bilateral meeting.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Intelligence Organisation head Ibrahim Kalin, the presidency’s Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and the president’s chief adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic attended the closed-door meeting.

Turkiye-based Anadolu Agency also shared visuals of Erdogan welcoming PM Shehbaz.

The meeting was expected to be followed by delegation-level talks. PM Shehbaz and President Erdogan would likely also hold a joint press conference.

According to the Foreign Office, PM Shehbaz was set to “hold discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral relations with a special focus on giving impetus to bilateral trade and investment cooperation between the two brotherly countries”.

“The leadership meeting will also reflect on issues concerning regional peace and security,” FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, PM Shehbaz and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz attended a Pakistan-Turkiye business-to-business (B2B) conference.

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Power Minister Awais Leghari and IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja were among those from the Pakistani side who addressed the conference.

The prime minister was also to address the B2B conference hosted by Pakistan to “spotlight Pakistan’s trade and investment potential in priority areas, including SEZs (special economic zones), energy, trade, IT and privatisation sectors”, the FO spokesperson had said.

PM invites Turkish companies to expand investments in Pakistan

As he began the day, PM Shehbaz held a series of meetings with senior executives of Turkiye’s leading business groups and industry organisations in Istanbul.

He invited Turkish companies to expand their investments in several sectors in Pakistan, including energy, mining and minerals, infrastructure, maritime and logistics, information technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, agriculture and privatisation, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The statement said PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to “strengthening economic cooperation and attracting greater Turkish investment across key sectors of the economy”.

He also underscored the deep-rooted brotherly ties between Pakistan and Turkiye and emphasised the importance of translating the two countries’ exceptional relationship into a stronger economic and investment partnership, it added.

PM Shehbaz also discussed Pakistan’s improving macroeconomic fundamentals and investor-friendly policy framework, adding that the government is committed to ensuring “a transparent, predictable and business-friendly investment environment”.

“He noted that the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), working in close coordination with the relevant federal and provincial authorities, continues to provide one-window facilitation and institutional support for strategic investors,” the statement said.

Speaking with the chairman of Çalık Holding, Ahmet Çalık, Shehbaz stressed opportunities in Pakistan’s energy, infrastructure, information technology and privatisation sectors, welcoming the company’s interest in expanding its operations in Pakistan.

He also invited Albayrak Group to expand its investments in maritime infrastructure, port modernisation and logistics, “recognising its important contribution to Pakistan’s connectivity and infrastructure development”.

The statement said the premier appreciated the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye (TOBB) for its “continued efforts to strengthen business-to-business engagement between Pakistan and Turkiye” in a meeting with the organisation’s president.

He further proposed a structured institutional mechanism for regular interaction between the private sectors of both countries and invited TOBB to lead a high-level business delegation to Pakistan to explore emerging investment opportunities firsthand.

According to the PMO, the Turkish business leaders expressed confidence in Pakistan’s economic outlook, the press release said, adding that the business groups “reaffirmed their interest in expanding investments and developing long-term partnerships across a range of strategic sectors”.

Turkcell invited to explore collaboration in 5G deployment, other areas

PM Shehbaz also held a separate meeting with Turkcell Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ali Taha Koç and shared his government’s vision of establishing a Pakistan–Türkiye Digital Corridor.

According to a PMO statement, the digital corridor would “strengthen regional digital connectivity, facilitate secure cross-border data flows, and advance the integration of digital infrastructure”.

The premier underscored the importance of deepening Pakistan–Türkiye cooperation in the digital and technology sectors.

He invited Turkcell to explore long-term collaboration with Pakistani institutions in various areas, including 5G deployment, network optimisation, spectrum management, digital infrastructure and technology transfer.

“He also encouraged the company to consider partnerships in the local manufacturing of telecommunications equipment, software development, digital skills development and capacity building,” PMO said.

PM Shehbaz stressed that such cooperation would strengthen Pakistan’s technology ecosystem while generating opportunities for innovation, employment and sustainable growth.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s “commitment to maintaining a transparent, predictable and investment-friendly business environment, supported by the SIFC, to facilitate strategic investments in high-value sectors, particularly information and communication technologies”.

On his part, the Turkcell CEO appreciated the government’s “forward-looking digital transformation agenda and expressed Turkcell’s keen interest in exploring opportunities for collaboration in telecommunications, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies”, PMO said.

He reaffirmed the company’s commitment to “working closely with the relevant Pakistani stakeholders to develop mutually beneficial partnerships that contribute to the shared economic and technological aspirations” of both countries.

PM Shehbaz had arrived in Istanbul on Friday for an official visit at the invitation of Erdogan, after attending the funeral of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.

Last week, Pakistan and Turkiye signed three MoUs aimed at enhancing institutional collaboration, technical cooperation and knowledge sharing in the power sector during high-level consultations held in Istanbul.

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