Waqas Abdullah

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Pakistan in February 2025, further strengthening the historical and strategic alliance between the two nations. This visit, Erdoğan’s fifth official trip to Pakistan, marked a significant milestone in Turkish diplomatic history. The discussions and engagements during his visit reinforced the deep-rooted ties and ongoing collaboration between Turkey and Pakistan across various sectors. Cooperation across trade fields and military and diplomatic sectors. The head of state visits made by Erdoğan have proven vital for advancing the bilateral relationship between Pakistan and Turkey. The Turkish Prime Minister conducted his first diplomatic journey after taking office in December 2003 and made additional official stops in Pakistan during 2010 and 2012 and 2020.

The long-standing bond between Turkey and Pakistan has evolved over time, driven by shared heritage, religious values, and active cooperation in trade, defense, and diplomacy. President Erdoğan’s visits have led to significant agreements, enhancing economic exchanges, military collaborations, and diplomatic ties. Defense cooperation remains key, with Turkey supplying military equipment and joint training programs. Regional security, Afghan instability, and defense production collaboration will be central topics during Erdoğan’s visit.

Cultural connections with Turkish people and bonds between common citizens, establish critical foundations for Pakistani-Turkish diplomatic relations. Turkish television series Ertugrul reached massive success in Pakistan creating stronger bonds between the people of both nations. The development projects and scholarship programs and Turkish educational institutions plus their various initiatives have created more solid bonds between the two nations. During his visit Erdoğan will focus on negotiating higher levels of educational and academic exchanges as well as tourism support and collaborative initiatives in media and entertainment sectors.

Regional political developments became the main points of discussion between President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif when Erdoğan visited Pakistan in 2025. The leaders spoke about Kashmir while Turkey maintained backing for Pakistan's position and pressed for UN-guided peaceful settlement. The leaders discussed the Palestinian crisis by accusing Israel of attacking Gaza and demanded both sides to stop fighting and provide urgent humanitarian aid. Afghanistan's political state stood as a significant matter where both parties stressed the need for peace through inclusion and backed humanitarian action and stability work in the regional area. The government of Pakistan stood behind Turkey’s position about Cyprus adding its voice to Ankara’s policy stance on the dispute. The officials also committed to enhance their mutual defense cooperation by increasing joint military operations and intelligence information sharing for security threat response. During the meeting the participants concentrated on strengthening the Strategic Economic Framework (SEF) as a means to enhance trade and investment between Pakistan and Turkey. During this visit Pakistan-Turkey diplomatic and strategic relations became stronger while both countries demonstrated their common dedication to maintaining regional stability along with global peace. The international organizations where both Turkey and Pakistan participate include the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations. Through his public discourse Erdoğan continually expresses support for Muslim-dominated countries and repeatedly advocates for Kashmiri independence. The two countries aim to reinforce their cooperative stance on vital international matters as well as enhance diplomatic collaboration during multilateral conferences because of present global conflicts alongside changing international partnerships. Economic cooperation was a key focus of President Erdoğan’s 2025 visit, with both countries aiming to boost trade, investment, and development partnerships. Turkish companies have invested over $2 billion in Pakistan, including $320 million for Lahore’s Metro Bus System. Bilateral trade reached $1.5 billion in 2024, with a target of $5 billion by 2030 under the Strategic Economic Framework (SEF). Erdoğan promoted Turkish investment in Pakistan’s infrastructure, energy, and industrial sectors, reinforcing Turkey’s role as a key economic partner in Pakistan’s development.

Pakistan and Turkey aimed to strengthen energy ties, focusing on LNG and renewables. Erdoğan's visit led to new defense partnerships, joint exercises, and enhanced trade relations, boosting investments and trade volume. Discussions also covered renewable energy infrastructure, joint projects, and resource extraction agreements, alongside technological transfer in mining. The Agricultural cooperation grew by 20%, with a focus on security and technology exchange. Technology partnerships led to 5 new initiatives and 3 major infrastructure projects. Financial ties strengthened with $500 million in joint ventures and investments. Cultural cooperation rose by 30% through exchange programs. Strategic talks resulted in 10+ agreements for expanded cooperation. The countries signed 24 agreements as well as memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan when he visited Pakistan to strengthen intersectoral cooperation. The visit marked eighth session of Pakistan-Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) leading to enhanced bilateral relations as well as establishing ambitious economic targets.

Economic and Trade Cooperation

The top priority of the meeting involved the development of economic partnerships. Both governments committed to enlarging their existing goods trade pact for reaching a target of $5 billion in bilateral trade from its current $1.4 billion level. The shared objective demonstrates their mutual enthusiasm to strengthen their economic relations and discover fresh trade and investment possibilities. The visit resulted in Turkish firms declaring plans for Pakistani Special Economic Zone (SEZ) development. The planned initiative will boost industrial production and economic development through Turkish investment opportunities and by promoting economic relations between the two countries.

Defense and Security Collaboration Defense agreements

Constituted central points among the documents Pakistan and Turkey signed together. The protocols between Turkey and Pakistan reaffirm social and cultural exchanges involving military and civilian personnel and feature memoranda about air force electronic warfare cooperation alongside protocols for military health and training cooperation. Defense production together with military collaboration and joint exercises form the core objectives of these agreements through which they support stability and security in the region.

Energy and Infrastructure Development. The energy sector received special attention from the Turkish military force. Several agreements established framework changes regarding hydrocarbon cooperation as well as procedures to support energy transition followed by mineral extraction collaborations.

Conclusion

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 2025 visit to Pakistan strengthened bilateral ties through 24 agreements, covering trade, defense, energy, and cultural cooperation. Both nations committed to expanding economic collaboration, increasing trade to $5 billion, and promoting Turkish investments, particularly in Pakistan’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Defense agreements emphasized joint military training, exercises, and defense production, reinforcing regional security cooperation. Energy partnerships, including hydrocarbon exploration and renewable initiatives, highlighted Pakistan’s push for diversified energy resources. Cultural exchanges and academic collaborations further deepened people-to-people connections. The visit also reaffirmed Turkey and Pakistan’s shared stance on global issues, particularly Kashmir, Palestine, and counterterrorism. Their strengthened cooperation in international forums like the OIC and UN signals a commitment to shaping global Muslim discourse. With strategic agreements in place, the visit set the stage for long-term economic growth, defense collaboration, and enhanced geopolitical influence for both nations.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of The Himalayan Research Institute Pakistan - (THRIP)