ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed here for a two-day visit to Turkiye, at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed Ishaq Dar, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi.

During the visit, the prime minister will hold extensive discussions with President Erdogan on bilateral relations as well as exchange views on recent developments in the region and beyond.

As long-standing allies and strategic partners, Pakistan and Turkiye maintain a tradition of regular high-level exchanges, reflecting the exceptional bonds of brotherhood between the two nations.

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

The 7th session of HLSCC was held in Islamabad on February 12–13, 2025 chaired by President Erdogan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

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.

Earlier,Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calling China a very trusted friend and a strategic partner, said that Pakistan was keen to increase cooperation with the country in the fields of space technology, space satellites, telecommunications, and satellite internet.

The prime minister, in a meeting with a delegation from the Chinese space technology company Galaxy Space, led by the company’s Chairman Xu Ming, said that Pakistan gave a great importance to the space technology sector.

The delegation members also showed keen interest in investing in Pakistan’s space technology industry and joint projects with Pakistani space institutions as well as private telecom companies.

Thanking the Government of Pakistan for warm hospitality, they told the prime minister that their meetings with officials from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and SUPARCO were very useful.