Pakistan, Turkiye reaffirm $5 billion trade goal

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a bilateral meeting in Istanbul on July 4, then addressed reporters with trade, investment and regional security at the center of the visit. Officials said the two sides reaffirmed a previously set target to raise bilateral trade volume to $5 billion.

Erdogan said the talks covered global and regional issues as well as steps to deepen trade and investment ties. He also said Turkiye’s solidarity with Pakistan continues across fields, framing the relationship as both economic and strategic.

Istanbul talks link trade and diplomacy

The meeting followed an official welcome at Vahdettin Palace and included senior Turkish officials, among them Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. Pakistan’s Foreign Office said before the visit that the leaders would review the full range of bilateral ties, with emphasis on giving momentum to trade and investment cooperation.

Regional security took a prominent place in the messaging. Erdogan referred to Islamabad’s role in mediation between the United States and Iran and cited the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 18 to end the US-Iran war. He said Turkiye would keep supporting diplomatic steps aimed at lowering tensions.

The geopolitical risk remains concentrated in the Middle East. Erdogan criticized Israel’s

actions in Gaza and said Ankara was monitoring what it described as efforts to undermine the US-Iran agreement.

If the June 18 understanding holds, Pakistan and Turkiye could gain diplomatic

space to focus on commerce; if tensions resume, security priorities could crowd out investment follow-through.

In the 30 days after the July 4 meeting, the practical marker will be whether delegation-level talks convert the $5 billion trade target into sector-specific commitments, timelines or financing channels.