Turkiye | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkiye on Tuesday signed five memorandum of understanding (MoUs) and deeds of assignment (DoAs) for oil and gas exploration and agreed to expand bilateral cooperation to mining and equity participation in the power sector. These documents were signed during the ongoing visit of a Turkish delegation led by Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar that had engagements with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Power Minister Awais Leghari on Tuesday. Prime Minister Sharif witnessed the ceremony for the exchange of MoUs and agreements between Turkiye and Pakistan in the field of petroleum exploration, including the deed of assignment for Eastern Offshore Indus-C, the Petroleum Concession agreement Ziarat North Block, the Petroleum Concession agreement Sukhpur-II Block, the Petroleum Concession agreement Deep C block and the Offshore Deep F Block. The premier underscored the historic and f...

Turkiye on Thursday refuted claims made by Indian media outlets claiming that Ankara had a link to the car blast in Delhi earlier this week. A day prior, the Indian government confirmed that it was treating a car blast that killed 12 people and wounded at least 20 others in Delhi as a “terror incident” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice as swiftly as possible. In a statement, Turkiye’s Directorate of Communications rejected the allegations and displayed screenshots of social media posts by two Indian outlets, which claimed Ankara had a “role in radicalising sleeper cells against India, [the] Turkish government is providing logistical, diplomatic and financial help to all terrorist groups across the world”. “The deliberate reports in certain Indian media outlets … are part of a malicious disinformation campaign aimed at damaging bilateral relations between the two countries,” Ankara’s statement read. Turkiye rejected acts of terror “regardless of where or by whom they are committed” and noted its c...

Turkiye on Wednesday said all 20 people onboard a military cargo plane that crashed in Georgia on its return from Azerbaijan had died. The plane had taken off from Ganja airport in western Azerbaijan on Tuesday afternoon but crashed shortly after crossing the border into eastern Georgia, the defence ministry said after the incident. It said there were 20 people on board, including the flight crew. “Our heroic comrades-in-arms were martyred on November 11, 2025 due to the crash of our C-130 military cargo aircraft, which had taken off from Azerbaijan to return to Turkiye,” Defence Minister Yasar Guler said in a statement posted on his X account alongside 20 photographs of those who died. Turkiye has not said what caused the accident but dramatic footage taken by eyewitnesses and published by Azerbaijani media appeared to show the plane spinning horizontally alongside several bits of debris as it fell. Georgia’s interior ministry had confirmed the plane went down in the Sighnaghi area, “about five kilometres (3...

Pakistan says it deeply appreciates the sincere efforts made by brotherly Turkiye and Qatar to mediate differences between Islamabad and Kabul on the core issue of terrorism.

PM says ties with Turkiye entered new era

Pakistan on Tuesday expressed solidarity with the people of Turkiye as 6.

Anxious to bolster its air power, Turkiye has proposed to European partners and the US ways it could swiftly obtain advanced fighter jets as it seeks to make up ground on regional rivals such as Israel, sources familiar with the talks say. NATO-member Turkiye, which has the alliance’s second-largest military, aims to leverage its best relations with the West in years to add to its ageing fleet 40 Eurofighter Typhoons, for which it inked a preliminary agreement in July, and later also US-made F-35 jets, despite Washington sanctions that currently block any deal. Strikes by Israel — the Middle East’s most advanced military with hundreds of US-supplied F-15, F-16 and F-35 fighters — on Turkiye’s neighbours Iran and Syria, as well as on Lebanon and Qatar, unnerved Ankara in the last year. They laid bare key vulnerabilities, prompting its push for rapid air power reinforcement to counter any potential threats and not be left exposed, officials say. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has sharply criticised Israel’s a...

Pakistan and Turkiye have underscored their shared resolve to further strengthen cooperation for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Muslim world and beyond.

Turkiye has decided to bar Israeli vessels from using its ports, forbid Turkish ships from using Israeli ports and impose restrictions on planes entering Turkish airspace, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday. He provided few details in comments to parliament, which appeared to summarise steps that Turkiye has already taken against Israel over the conflict in Gaza or has started to implement. Turkiye on Friday fiercely criticised Israel’s offensive in Gaza and accused it of committing genocide in the Palestinian enclave and halted all trade with Tel Aviv, called for international measures against it and urged world powers to stop their support. Sources told Reuters last week that Turkish port authorities had also started informally requiring shipping agents to provide letters declaring that vessels are not linked to Israel and not carrying military or hazardous cargo bound for the country. A source had also said that Turkish-flagged ships would be prohibited from calling at Israeli ports. “We have tota...

ISLAMABAD - Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkiye and Kuwait on Saturday expressed deep sorrow over loss of lives caused by devastating floods in Pakistan.

A 6.1-magnitude quake struck Sindirgi in western Turkiye on Sunday, the Turkish disaster management agency (AFAD) said. The quake was felt across several cities in the west of the country, including Istanbul and the tourist hotspot of Izmir, said officials, who are yet to comment on any potential damages or deaths. Several buildings collapsed in the Balikesir province after the quake, according to images broadcast by Turkish media. The quake hit at 7:53 pm (9:53pm PKT), with a 4.6-magnitude aftershock following several minutes later, according to AFAD. The quake was also registered by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which recorded the quake and the aftershock at a depth of 10 kilometres. An interactive map shows the location of the earthquake and an aftershock in Turkiye. — United States Geological Survey “All AFAD teams and the relevant institutions have immediately begun searches on the ground. No undesirable event has been flagged up till now,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X. Turkey ...

ISLAMABAD - Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Nav­eed Ashraf, undertook an official vis­it to Turkiye, during which he was conferred the prestigious Legion of Merit award by the Turkish Armed Forces.

Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Naveed Ashraf was conferred Turkiye’s highest military award — titled Legion of Merit of the Turkish Armed Forces — for his efforts towards “defence and maritime cooperation” between the two nations, the Pakistan Navy said on Tuesday. Pakistani armed forces routinely conduct joint military exercises with other nations to increase combat readiness and identify problems in logistics, training, and current military doctrine. Pakistan Navy, in its statement, said the commander of Turkish Navy, Admiral Ercument Tatlioglu, “presented [the] award to Adm Naveed Ashraf in recognition of his efforts to strengthen defence & maritime coop b/w the two countries”. The award ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Turkish Naval Forces, where he was also given a guard of honour. Pakistan’s naval chief called upon Turkiye’s Defence Minister Yasar Guler, Chief of General Staff Metin Gurak, and the Commander of the Turkish Navy Fleet, Admiral Kadir Yildiz. The two sides discussed coll...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Turkiye yesterday reaffirmed their strong and united stance on the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian territory continues to escalate.

Pakistan and Turkiye on Monday reaffirmed their shared commitment to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, unimpeded humanitarian assistance, and coordinated global efforts for a just and lasting peace in the region.

Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with Turkiye, praising the Turkish people’s courage and resilience during the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016 – a defining moment he described as a “beacon of democratic will and national.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Turkiye yesterday reiterated their shared commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation across a broad spectrum of sectors, including defence, trade, energy, education, infrastructure, and culture.

ISLAMABAD - A high-level delegation led by Minister of Defence of the Republic of Turkiye Mr Yasar Güler called on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during here Wednesday a Air Headquarters.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday said Pakistan and Turkiye were pursuing the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Turkish entrepreneurs in Karachi. The announcement came after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Islamabad earlier today on an official visit. Turkiye’s Minister of National Defence Yasar Guler is also visiting Pakistan. Pakistan and Turkiye enjoy strong bilateral ties built on shared cultural, religious and historical bonds, as well as mutual respect. In February, the two countries pledged to boost bilateral trade to $5 billion as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Islamabad. “We are pursuing the establishment of a Special Economic Zone dedicated to Turkish entrepreneurs at Karachi,” Dar said, addressing a press conference alongside Fidan at the Foreign Office (FO). Dar also mentioned other engagements, including the revival of the Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad train, saying, “Our delegations are meeting in the coming weeks to finalise t...

Turkiye said on Monday that three more of its soldiers had died after being exposed to methane gas during a search operation in caves in northern Iraq, bringing the total toll to eight. The incident comes at a sensitive time with Turkiye in talks to end the conflict with the Kurds after the PKK militant group agreed to end its decades-long armed struggle. The conflict, which began in 1984, has cost more than 40,000 lives. The deaths occurred as the Turkish troops were searching for the remains of a soldier who was shot dead by Kurdish fighters in the area in May 2022 and whose body was never recovered, Turkiye’s defence ministry said. “Three other of our heroic comrades in arms, affected by methane gas, have died, bringing the total number of victims to eight,” the ministry said on X on Monday. It did not explain the origin of the methane gas in the caves. “During a search operation in a cave… previously known to have been used as a hospital… 19 of our personnel were exposed to methane gas,” the ministry said...