Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan meet in Istanbul to discuss regional and global issues while reaffirming cooperation between the two countries. Multiple outlets report that the leaders set a shared goal of increasing annual bilateral trade to US$5 billion. They also discuss ways to broaden economic engagement beyond trade, including cooperation in energy, transportation and critical minerals. Reporting also indicates that discussions touch on investment and broader economic ties, with one outlet describing an emphasis on trade, investment and defence cooperation alongside other areas of collaboration.
One report adds that Erdoğan stresses Türkiye’s view that Israel should not disrupt an emerging deal referenced in the coverage, while another outlet focuses on the practical economic agenda of the visit. A separate detail cited by one outlet notes that current annual trade is about US$1.236 billion, suggesting the proposed target represents a substantial expansion. Coverage also mentions proposals for joint business engagement, including a suggested business meeting to support the trade objective.
