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Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will visit Türkiye on July 2-4 at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the two countries expected to focus on new areas of cooperation ranging from transportation and the economy to trade, energy and the defense industry.
Sharif is expected to travel to Türkiye with ministers and businesspeople for a series of high-level meetings, according to information compiled by Anadolu Agency.
The visit comes as Türkiye and Pakistan, which recently played leading mediation roles in efforts to secure an agreement in negotiations between Iran and the U.S., turn their focus to deepening economic ties through intensive diplomatic and business contacts.
Bilateral and delegation-level meetings are expected to be held during the visit, along with the Türkiye-Pakistan Business Forum.
The two countries, which have strengthened ties in recent years particularly in trade, economy, defense industry, and energy, are expected to move cooperation to a new level during the visit.
Erdogan and Sharif are expected to review political and diplomatic relations as well as economic ties during their meetings.
At the Türkiye-Pakistan Business Forum, businesspeople from both countries will discuss the investment environment in Türkiye and Pakistan, sectors with potential, and business and investment opportunities between the two countries.
Meetings between business representatives are also expected to focus on new cooperation opportunities.
The talks will focus on four main areas: information technology and telecommunications, oil and precious minerals, a special economic zone planned to be allocated to Türkiye, and the privatization of electricity distribution companies in Pakistan.
Ministers responsible for the relevant investment areas are also expected to attend the forum.
Transport cooperation is among the priority items on the Ankara-Islamabad agenda.
The two countries, which are focusing especially on road and railway cooperation, plan to revive the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul freight train line.
Joint projects on the Middle Corridor, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the Development Road routes are also among the projects on the table.
Energy cooperation will also be discussed during the meetings.
Türkiye and Pakistan had previously signed an agreement on oil and gas exploration and production in Pakistan's maritime and land areas.
Ahead of Sharif's visit, talks also covered formulas for Turkish companies to participate in privatization tenders in Pakistan, local partnership opportunities and strategic steps to expand existing investments.
Türkiye's recent steps and sectoral expertise in the privatization of electricity distribution assets were also shared with Pakistan. New decisions on these issues are expected during the visit.
Pakistan is among Türkiye's target countries for exports, and trade between the two countries exceeded $1.2 billion last year.
Türkiye's exports accounted for $866.5 million of that amount, allowing Türkiye to maintain its position as a net exporter in trade with Pakistan.
Ships, floating structures and waterborne vehicles made up the largest share of Türkiye's exports to Pakistan, totaling $303 million.
Cotton and related textiles followed with $150.2 million, while boilers, machinery and mechanical devices reached $95.5 million.
Together, these three categories accounted for $548.6 million, or 63.3% of Türkiye's total exports to Pakistan.
In the first four months of this year, Türkiye's exports to Pakistan reached $196.4 million, while imports from Pakistan totaled $103.5 million.
New agreements expected to be signed during the visit are aimed at opening the way toward the $5 billion trade target.
According to the latest data, Turkish investors have more than $2 billion in investments in Pakistan.
Turkish contractors have undertaken projects worth $3.5 billion in the country.
Pakistan-based companies have made about $700 million in direct investments in Türkiye, with sectors including automotive, electronics and telecommunications standing out.
Erdogan visited Pakistan last February as part of his South Asia tour. During those talks, 24 agreements were signed in several areas, including defense, energy, agriculture, trade, industry and communications.
Decisions aimed at strengthening economic relations were also implemented during Sharif's visits to Türkiye last year.
With Sharif's July visit, Türkiye and Pakistan are expected to open the door to new cooperation in economic relations after recently helping pave the way for an agreement in the Iran-U.S. negotiations.
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