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       Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday landed in Turkiye for a two-day visit on the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with both sides looking to strengthen bilateral ties.

       Pakistan and Turkiye enjoy strong bilateral ties based on shared history, culture, and religion, with close cooperation in defence, trade, and diplomacy. They mutually support each other on issues like Kashmir and Cyprus, strengthening their strategic partnership.

       In a post on X today, the premier said that he had “just landed in Ankara” and was looking forward to meeting the Turkish president.

       “Pakistan and Türkiye share a unique and historic bond, deeply etched in the hearts of our people,” PM Shehbaz said.

       “United by trust and shared values, we carry a common vision for peace, progress, and prosperity — a partnership that has stood the test of time and continues to grow stronger with each passing day,” he added.

       During his visit, the prime minister will hold extensive discussions with his Turkish counterpart on bilateral relations while exchanging views on recent developments in the region and beyond, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported earlier.

       It said the prime minister was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi.

       The report added that the meeting represented a continuation of robust dialogue and underscored the shared commitment to further elevate the partnership between Pakistan and Turkiye.

       The two countries have also institutionalised leadership-level mechanism in the form of High High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) for cooperation and coordination on various issues of mutual interest.

       The seventh session of HLSCC was held in Islamabad on February 12 and 13 this year. President Erdo-gan and Prime Minister Shehbaz had co-chaired the session.

       Turkiye and Pakistan had agreed to expand the scope of their goods trade agreement, marking a significant step towards achieving a $5 billion bilateral trade target, and laid the groundwork for Turkish firms to develop a special economic zone in Pakistan during the session.

       Established in 2009, HLSCC is the highest decision-making forum bet-ween the two countries, guiding bilateral relations through joint standing committees covering trade, investment, defen--ce, energy, agriculture, health and education.

       The upcoming meeting represents a continuation of this robust dialogue and underscores the shared commitment to further elevate the multifaceted partnership between Pakistan and Turkiye, APP said.

       Earlier in February, President Asif Ali Zardari also met his Turkish counterpart, Erdogan, before the latter visited Pakistan later in the month.

       The meeting took place during a brief stopover at Istanbul airport, while the president was en route to Portugal, where both countries agreed to boost counter-terror cooperation in a separate meeting in Islamabad.