President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who arrived in Pakistan late Wednesday, was officially welcomed in Islamabad by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Pakistan is the last leg of Erdoğan’s Asia tour that began in Malaysia and continued in Indonesia.
Erdoğan's motorcade headed to the Prime Ministry from the hotel where Erdoğan was staying through streets adorned with flags of Türkiye and Pakistan. After a brass band played the national anthems of the two countries, Erdoğan greeted the honor guards and planted a sapling dedicated to the Turkish-Pakistani friendship. He later watched Pakistan's Air Forces honoring his visit by performing a flight above the venue of the ceremony.
A delegation, including first lady Emine Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Communications Director Fahrettin Altun accompanied the president.
President Erdoğan is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Sharif later on Thursday and is scheduled to attend the seventh meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between the two countries. He is expected to sign agreements with Sharif and hold a joint news conference. Erdoğan will also attend the Türkiye-Pakistan Business Forum and hold a bilateral meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari at the presidential building.
The two countries have particularly increased cooperation in the defense industry, with deals signed on acquiring naval vessels and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). Pakistan was the first country to sign a deal to purchase Türkiye’s nationally made naval vessels as part of the MILGEM (National Ship) project.
In 2019, Türkiye launched its Asia Anew Initiative to bolster ties with the Asian countries. According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, it aims to capitalize on potential opportunities for cooperation with Asian countries. The initiative covers a policy based on common interests and objectives through regional, sub-regional and country-specific approaches.
