Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif landed in Istanbul on Sunday and held high-level meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before heading for Iran on Monday.
This significant trip follows a short conflict between Pakistan and India earlier this month. Now, Islamabad is reaching out to two of the region’s key Islamic countries, which are also non-Arab states. Turkey is a member of NATO, while Iran positions itself as an anti-Western country. As such, Pakistan is hedging, showcasing its desire to position itself in an emerging new world order.
In Turkey, the Pakistani delegation was greeted by Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler. Sharif then met with Erdogan at the Dolmabahce Palace. The “talks centered on strengthening the strategic partnership between the two nations,” Turkey’s Daily Sabah noted.
“Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun highlighted that the meeting would comprehensively review progress under the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, last convened during Erdogan’s February visit to Islamabad.”
The countries are focusing on defense ties as well as investments in energy and transport. Erdogan wants trade to reach $5 billion.
What do they mean by 'terrorism'?
The two also discussed the “fight against terrorism,” though they likely define this differently than other countries. Ankara backs Hamas, and Pakistan supports extremist groups as well. Therefore, when they say “terrorism,” they mean something different.
Ankara describes the Kurdish PKK as “terrorists,” though that group has now dissolved. Pakistan opposes terrorism by Baloch separatists.
“We will continue to take steps to advance Türkiye-Pakistan relations and achieve our trade target,” Erdogan said. “He also stressed the urgency of operationalizing the Istanbul-Tbilisi-Islamabad railway corridor and praised Pakistan’s principled stance on Palestine,” the Daily Sabah reported.
This is important and has wide-ranging ramifications, knitting together Turkey, Pakistan, and key countries in between. Those other countries include Azerbaijan, Iran, and some Central Asian states. The Pakistani leader is expected to go to Azerbaijan and Tajikistan on his trip. Iran has a drone factory in Tajikistan, and this is noteworthy because it shows extended outreach to Central Asia.
“Had the honor of meeting my dear brother President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul this evening. Thanked him for his resolute support to Pakistan in the recent Pakistan-India standoff, which resulted in Pakistan’s overwhelming victory, Alhamdulillah [thank God]! Conveyed the sentiments of gratitude from the people of Pakistan to their Turkish brothers and sisters,” said Sharif in a post on X/Twitter.
After the trip to Turkey, the Pakistani leader traveled to Iran. He was received in Iran by officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This was an important and symbolic meeting, which was attended by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as well.
“Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, while referring to Pakistan’s special position in the Muslim world, emphasized the need for joint and effective activities between Iran and Pakistan to stop the crimes of the Israeli regime in Gaza,” Iran’s IRNA noted. This illustrates how the ties with Islamabad are seen as an Islamic cause, which is also how Ankara views it.
During the meetings in Tehran, Khamenei spoke about the need to support Pakistan’s role in the Muslim world, including Gaza.
“Ayatollah Khamenei hailed the end of hostilities between Pakistan and India and expressed hope that the two countries would resolve their differences,” IRNA reported. It quoted the Iranian leader as saying, “There have always been temptations for Muslim countries in recent years to establish relations with the Zionist regime, but Pakistan has never been impacted by these temptations.”
Moreover, “Ayatollah Khamenei expressed hope that the Pakistani prime minister’s visit to Tehran would contribute to the comprehensive expansion of relations in various fields, especially in the economic, political, and cultural sectors.”
The two also discussed economic cooperation. “During the meeting, which was also attended by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Pakistani prime minister hailed Iran’s positive role in solving the crisis between Pakistan and India,” IRNA noted.
The Iranian officials also discussed the desire to bolster strategic cooperation. “We share views that our joint borders have to be free from insecurity and the presence of terrorist and criminal groups,” Pezeshkian said. He also noted that the two countries are key members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Additionally, Pakistan’s chief of the army staff, Asim Munir, met his Iranian counterpart, Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Bagheri. They discussed eliminating “terrorism” on the border, referring to the area of Balochistan, where Baloch rebels reside in Pakistan and Iran. IRNA reported that “Munir highlighted the necessity of enhancing collaboration between military forces of Iran and Pakistan.”