ISTANBUL: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday reiterated the close bond between Pakistan and Turkiye, stressing that they were `two hearts with one soul` and that the bilateral economic partnership was `entering a new phase`.

He made the remarks during a joint press conference in Istanbul with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his official visit to Turkiye. Thetwo leaders had held a bilateral meeting prior to the press briefing.

In his remarks, PM Shehbaz described discussions with Erdogan as `very comprehensive and productive discussions` `We expressed satisfaction over the growing momentum in bilateral trade, investment and industrial cooperation, while reviewing concrete steps to unlock the full potential of our economic partnership,` he elaborated.

PMShehbazremarkedthat a `tremendous reservoir of good-will` between the two nations provided them a `unique and ideal opportunity to achieve our mutually agreed target of $5 billion in bilateral trade`.

`Pakistan and Turkiye have always stood firmly beside one another on issues of fundamental national importance,` he said, affirming that Islamabad will continue to stand firmly with Ankara over the issue of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The prime minister expressed Pakistan`s `profound appreciation for Turkiye`s principled and unwavering support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and their legitimate right to selfdetermination`.

Bilateral trade Addressing the press conference, President Erdogan said Islamabad and Ankara have reaffirmed their target to increase the volume of bilateral trade to $5bn a year.

`In our talks today, we exchanged views on global and regional issues with a particular focus on our bilateral relations,President Erdogan said.

Affirming that Turkiye`s solidarity with Pakistan `continues in every field`, the president said the two sides discussed the `steps we can take to further enhance our trade and investment relations in a manner befitting the spirit of solidarity`.

`We have reaffirmed our target of increasing our trade volume to the previously set level of $5bn,` he added, referring to their pledge made in May 2024 based on potential identified in 2022.

Mr Erdogan noted that both countries` trade ministries were working on establishing a special economic zone (SEZ) plannedfor `our businesspeople in Karachi`.

`Similarly, negotiations are ongoing on expanding the scope of our preferential trade agreement,` he said, expressing confidence that the businessto-business conference would contribute to PakTurkiye investment ties.

`We, too, encourage our investors to engage in more activities in Pakistan,` he added.

The Turkish president remarked that the bilateral cooperation in the defence industry was `one of the cornerstones of our economic relations and it continues to grow stronger with new projects each passing day`.

Mr Erdogan expressed Turkiye`s desire to deepen cooperation in the fields of energy, transportation, critical minerals and information technologies.

At the outset of his address, Mr Erdogan mentioned Islamabad`s role in mediation between the United States and Iran, which culminated in an understanding last month to end the war.

Mr Erdogan had received PM Shehbaz at Vahdettin Palace in Istanbul, where an official welcome ceremony was held.

Bilateral meeting In their bilateral meeting before the presser, PM Shehbaz and President Erdogan reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties between the twocountries, with a focus on trade, investment, energy and regional cooperation.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister`s Office (PMO), the meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, along with ministers and senior officials from both countries.

The two leaders reaffirmed the historic and brotherly ties between Pakistan and Turkiye and expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of bilateral relations.

They held wide-ranging discussions on expanding cooperation in trade and investment, energy, offshore and onshore petroleum exploration, mines and minerals, and information technology. They also reiterated their commitment to achieving the mutually agreed bilateral trade target of $5bn, the PMO said.

B2B conference PM Shehbaz also addressed a PakistanTurkiye business-to-businessconferenceinIstanbul.

At the outset of his address, the premier called Turkiye `one of Pakistan`s staunchest allies around the globe`.

The prime minister noted that the strength of the Pak-Turkiye relationship `demands very strongly that these beautiful words from both sides must now be converted into something concrete`, referring to the speechesgiven by the two countries`ministers.

`I think this is high time when Pakistan, with the great support of my very dear brother President Tayyip Erdogan, has been able to mediate peace between the United States and Iran,` he recalled.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz attended the moot. Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Power Minister Awais Leghari and IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja were among those from the Pakistani side who also addressed the conference.As he began the day, PM Shehbaz held a series of meetings with senior executives of Turkiye`s leading business groups and industry organisations in Istanbul.

He invited Turkish companies to expand their investments in several sectors in Pakistan, including energy, mining and minerals, infrastructure, maritime and logistics, information technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, agriculture and privatisation, according to the Prime Minister`s Office (PMO).

The statement said PM Shehbaz reaffirmedPakistan`s commitment to `strengthening economic cooperation and attracting greater Turkish investment across key sectors of the economy`.

He also underscored the deep-rooted brotherly ties between Pakistan and Turkiye and emphasised the importance of translating the two countries` exceptional relationship into a stronger economic and investment partnership, it added.

Speaking with Çalik Holding Chairman Ahmet Çalik, PM Shehbaz stressed opportunities in Pakistan`s energy, infrastructure, informationtechnology and privatisation sectors, welcoming the company`s interest in expanding its operations in Pakistan.

He also invited Albayrak Group to expand its investments in maritime infrastructure, port modernisation and logistics, `recognising its important contribution to Pakistan`s connectivity and infrastructure development`.

In a separate meeting with Turkcell Chief Executive Officer Ali Taha Koç, PM Shehbaz shared his government`s vision of establishing a PakistanTurkiye Digital Corridor.