Turkey-Pakistan economic cooperation to expand in July visit

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will travel to Turkey from 2‑4 July with ministers and business leaders. He will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and hold a Turkey‑Pakistan Business Forum to discuss deepening trade, investment, defence, energy and telecommunications ties.

The agenda includes cooperation on a special economic zone, privatisation of Pakistan’s electricity distribution, and joint projects on transport corridors such as the Ankara‑Islamabad line, the Istanbul‑Tehran‑Islamabad rail route, and links to the China‑Pakistan Economic Corridor. Earlier visits yielded 24 agreements covering sectors from defence to agriculture.

Turkey’s trade with Pakistan last year exceeded US$1.2 billion, with Turkish exports of US$866.5 million. Both sides aim to raise bilateral trade to US$5 billion. Turkish investors have over US$2 billion in Pakistan, including US$3.5 billion in construction projects, while Pakistani firms have invested about US$700 million in Turkey across automotive, electronics and telecom.