PM Shehbaz Meets Turkish Business Leaders in Istanbul

ISTANBUL: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Istanbul on an official visit to Turkiye after completing his visit to Iran.

He travelled to Turkiye after attending the funeral prayers of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and meeting the Iranian leadership.

The prime minister received a warm welcome at Ataturk Airport. Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat, senior officials from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkiye Dr Yousaf Junaid and embassy officials were present to receive him.

Prime Minister Shehbaz is visiting Turkiye at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and other senior officials are accompanying him.

During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz and President Erdogan will hold one-on-one and delegation-level meetings. They will discuss ways to increase bilateral trade, expand investment and strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

The two leaders are also expected to exchange views on regional peace, security and the current situation in the Middle East.

The prime minister will also deliver a keynote address at a special business conference attended by leading Turkish business leaders, investors and corporate representatives. The conference will highlight investment opportunities in Special Economic Zones (SEZs), energy, information technology, privatisation and other sectors.

During his visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz also met Turkish business delegations and encouraged stronger economic cooperation between Pakistan and Turkiye.

He said the long-standing friendship between the two countries should be turned into a stronger economic partnership. He highlighted Pakistan’s improving economic indicators and investor-friendly environment.

The prime minister invited Turkish investors to invest in priority sectors and said the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) is helping create an easier business environment for investors.

He welcomed the interest of Turkish companies in expanding investment in Pakistan and praised Albayrak Group for its long-standing presence in the country. He also invited the company to increase investment in ports and logistics.

Prime Minister Shehbaz appreciated the role of Turkish business organisations and proposed an institutional mechanism to strengthen ties between the private sectors of both countries.

He invited more Turkish investors to visit Pakistan, while Turkish business leaders praised Pakistan’s economic reforms and expressed interest in expanding their investments in the country.