President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, for a dinner in Pakistan. He was accompanied by Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Erdoğan, who arrived in Pakistan late Wednesday, was officially welcomed in Islamabad by Sharif. Pakistan is the last leg of Erdoğan’s Asia tour that began in Malaysia and continued in Indonesia.
A delegation, including first lady Emine Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, accompanied the president.
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.
