President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday held back-to-back meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in the Azerbaijani city of Khankendi, where the leaders gathered for a summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
During his meeting with Sharif, Erdoğan said efforts are ongoing to deepen cooperation between Türkiye and Pakistan across various sectors, especially trade and energy, according to a statement from Türkiye’s Communications Directorate shared on X.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations, regional developments, and global issues. Erdoğan emphasized the need for continued joint efforts to halt Israel’s attacks on Gaza, establish a cease-fire, and ensure the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening ties with Türkiye, highlighting shared goals of peace, stability, and sustainable development. Both sides underlined the importance of enhancing collaboration in key areas such as defense, connectivity, and investment.
Erdoğan was accompanied at the meeting by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, and chief foreign policy adviser Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
Later in the day, Erdoğan met with Iranian President Pezeshkian, where the two discussed regional tensions and bilateral ties. Erdoğan underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation with Iran in the fight against terrorism and stressed the need to turn the current de facto cease-fire between Iran and Israel into lasting regional stability.
He called for disputes to be resolved through dialogue and negotiation and reiterated Ankara’s readiness to assume a mediating role if needed to promote peace.
Erdoğan also noted that expanding bilateral relations, particularly in trade, would benefit both Türkiye and Iran.
Pezeshkian’s meeting with Erdoğan was attended by the same high-level Turkish delegation present at the talks with Sharif.
