Pakistan–Turkey relations are the

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Pakistan has an embassy in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, a Consulate-General in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

and an honorary consulate in

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

whereas, Turkey has an embassy in

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

, a Consulate-General in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

and

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

and honorary consulates in

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...

and

Faisalabad Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...

. As of 2016, in a joint communique, Pakistan and Turkey plan to strengthen their close ties into a strategic partnership. Relations date back generations before the establishment of the two states, more precisely during the

Turkish War of Independence , strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...

when the Muslims of the northwestern British Raj or pre-independent Pakistan sent financial aid to the declining

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, which was followed by the formation of the Turkish Republic and the

Independence of Pakistan The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation th ...

. Additionally, the countries share historical Islamic ties, as the Muslims living under the British Raj deemed the

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

as their

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

, and the Caliph of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

and all Muslims. As a result, Pakistan and Pakistanis had enjoyed a positive perception in Turkey and amongst Turks for many decades. Pakistan and Turkey enjoy close cultural, historical and military relations which are now expanding into deepening economic relations as both countries seek to develop their economies. Turkey supports Pakistan's position of holding a plebiscite under the UN to decide if Kashmir wants to join Pakistan, a position which Turkish President Erdogan reaffirmed in a joint address to the Pakistani parliament and which was attended by Pakistan's military high command. Turkey supports Pakistan's membership of the

Nuclear Suppliers Group The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a multilateral export control regime and a group of nuclear supplier countries that seek to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of two sets of Guidelines for nuc ...

Talat Masood Talat Masood (Urdu: طلعت مسعُود) is a retired three-star rank army general, a political commentator, and a mechanical engineer. His career in the military spent in the Pakistan Army Corps of EME as an engineering officer and also ...

said that Turkey and Pakistan enjoy close relations during both democratic and military regimes, reflecting the depth of the relations between the two nations. Pakistan's close and historical ties to Ankara have made it reluctant and resistant to recognizing the controversial

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

75th anniversary of diplomatic relations

On Nov 16, 2022,

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...

commenced flight to

on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Turkey.

Diplomatic relations

Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Pakistan were established in 1947, soon after Pakistan gained independence as the then largest Muslim country on world map. Turkey established diplomatic relations soon after the independence of Pakistan in 1947 and bilateral relations became increasingly close owing to cultural, religious and geopolitical links between the two countries. Turkey was among a few countries that quickly recognized Pakistan after its creation and supported its successful bid to become a member of the United Nations. Pakistan's founder

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

expressed admiration for Turkey's founding leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and also a desire to develop Pakistan on the Turkish model of modernism. Similar ideas were expressed by the former

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...

, who grew up in Turkey and had received extensive military training there. Jinnah is honoured as a great leader in Turkey, and a major road of the Turkish capital

, the

Cinnah Caddesi The Cinnah Caddesi () is a major road located in the city of Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It is one of the most important arteries of traffic and commerce in the city. It is named after the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Importance T ...

is named after him, while roads in

, and

Larkana Larkana (; ) is a city located in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the 15th largest city of Pakistan by population. It is home to the Indus Valley civilization site Mohenjo-daro. The historic Indus River flows in east and south of the ci ...

are named after Atatürk. On 26 October 2009,

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

was awarded the

Nishan-e-Pakistan Nishan-e-Pakistan () is the highest civilian award of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It is awarded to "those who have rendered services of highest distinction" to the national interest of Pakistan. Nishan is awarded to government officials a ...

and was the fourth world leader who spoke to the Pakistani parliament.

Recent Developments

As of 2024, Pakistan–Turkey relations have witnessed several strategic and economic advancements: * Military and Defense Cooperation: An increase in military relations has been observed, with the Pakistan Air Force reportedly training Turkish pilots. Additionally, there are indications of a trilateral military alliance forming between Turkey, Pakistan, and Azerbaijan, aimed at enhancing their defense ties. * Economic and Strategic Partnerships: The High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, co-chaired by President Erdogan and Prime Minister Imran Khan, has signed 13 memorandums of understanding, targeting to elevate the bilateral trade to $5 billion by 2023. This encompasses a comprehensive plan involving several joint groups working to improve ties in trade, investment, energy, banking, finance, and other sectors. * Dual Nationality Initiative: Plans to facilitate dual nationality for citizens of both countries have been highlighted, which would significantly strengthen their relationship. This initiative would allow citizens of Pakistan and Turkey to attain joint citizenship and dual passports. * Joint Stance on International Issues: Both countries have shown mutual support on various international platforms, including issues like Kashmir and northern Cyprus. Their commitment to combating Islamophobia and promoting a peaceful resolution in Afghanistan has been a key aspect of their international stance. These developments indicate a deepening of the strategic and economic partnership between Pakistan and Turkey, going beyond traditional diplomatic ties and encompassing a broader spectrum of cooperation in various fields.

Economic relations

Pak-Turkey Strategic Economic Framework

The framework aims to enhance bilateral economic cooperation with particular focus on trade and investment. Turkey and Pakistan agreed on a strategic economic framework and an action plan, Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said Friday. Speaking at Turkey-Pakistan Business Forum held in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, Pekcan said high level council with the attendance of two countries' leaders addressed trade and economic cooperation. Bilateral trade volume is aimed to exceed $1 billion in short-term, up from its current level of $850 million, she added. "I believe that bilateral investments will continue accelerating, thanks to the urkishpresident's visit to Pakistan," Pekcan noted. She stressed the importance of Turkish contractors to participate in Pakistan's infrastructure and superstructure investments. "We will utilize the sources of Turk Eximbank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to finance those projects," Pekcan highlighted. The forum was organized by Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Investment and trade

Turkey and Pakistan are founding members of the

Economic Cooperation Organization The Economic Cooperation Organization or ECO is a Eurasian political and economic intergovernmental organization that was founded in 1985 in Tehran by the leaders of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve ...

and part of the

Developing 8 Countries The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organisation for development co-operation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. Azerbaijan was admitted to the organiz ...

(D-8) organization. Both nations have worked to negotiate a preferential trading agreement, aiming to considerably increase trade and investments, especially in transport, telecommunications, manufacturing, tourism and other industries. Both governments have sought to increase the volume of bilateral trade from $690 million to more than $1 billion by 2010. Pakistani exports include rice,

sesame seeds Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for it ...

, leather, textiles, fabrics, sports goods, and medical equipment. Turkey exports to Pakistan include wheat,

chickpeas The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, cultivated for its edible seeds. Its different types are variously known as gram," Bengal gram, garbanzo, garbanzo bean, or Egypt ...

lentils The lentil (''Vicia lens'' or ''Lens culinaris'') is an annual plant, annual legume grown for its Lens (geometry), lens-shaped edible seeds or ''pulses'', also called ''lentils''. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in Legume, pods, usually w ...

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...

, chemicals, transport vehicles, machinery and energy products. Turkish private corporations have also invested significantly in industrial and construction projects developing highways, pipelines and canals. The two countries are negotiating the Turkey-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement. In August 2022, Pakistan and Turkey signed a Preferential Trade Agreement. Under the agreement, Turkey offered concessions to Pakistan on 261 tariff lines, which include both the agriculture and industrial sectors. On the other hand, Pakistan offered concessions to Turkey on 130 tariff lines. Turkey has seen an increase of Pakistani tourists over the years who contribute to Turkey's tourism industry which makes a fraction of the country's economy. In 2024, up to 135,000 Pakistani tourists were reported to have visited Turkey. Additionally, Pakistanis reside in Turkey as investors, which is another fraction of Turkey's economy. This also includes property investment by Pakistanis. Pakistani passengers also commonly fly on

Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları''), or legally Türk Hava Yolları Anonim Ortaklığı, is the flag carrier of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 352 destinations (including cargo) in Europe, Asia, Oce ...

both to visit Turkey and/or to transit through there when traveling abroad, thereby contributing to Turkey’s transportation industry, another fraction of the Turkish economy.

Historical and cultural relations

Persian Empire at the time of Alexander the Great

The regions comprising both Pakistan and Turkey have been mutually influenced by contiguous

Iranic Iranian peoples, or Iranic peoples, are the collective ethnolinguistic groups who are identified chiefly by their native usage of any of the Iranian languages, which are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages within the Indo-European langu ...

Hellenistic In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

and

Turco-Mongol The Turco-Mongol or Turko-Mongol tradition was an ethnocultural synthesis that arose in Asia during the 14th century among the ruling elites of the Golden Horde and the Chagatai Khanate. The ruling Mongol elites of these khanates eventually ass ...

cultures at various points in history. By the fifth century BCE,

Persian Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the larg ...

s spread from

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

to the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...

, introducing

Persianate A Persianate society is a society that is based on or strongly influenced by the Persian language, culture, literature, art and/or identity. The term "Persianate" is a neologism credited to Marshall Hodgson. In his 1974 book, ''The Venture of I ...

cultural and political traditions to these regions. Modern-day Turkey was home to many ancient European civilizations, including that of the Ionian Greeks. The country has many traces of cultural and historical influences from the ancient Greeks, including many Greek and Hellenistic archeological sites found in the region. Pakistan was also influenced by Greek culture and civilization in the aftermath of Alexander the Great's conquest of the Indus Valley, which later led to the development of the

Indo-Greek Kingdom The Indo-Greek Kingdom, also known as the Yavana Kingdom, was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic-era Ancient Greece, Greek kingdom covering various parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India. The term "Indo-Greek Kingdom" ...

s and

Greco-Buddhism Greco-Buddhism or Graeco-Buddhism was a cultural syncretism between Hellenistic culture and Buddhism developed between the 4th century BC and the 5th century AD in Gandhara, which was in present-day Pakistan and parts of north-east Afghanis ...

Gandhara Gandhara () was an ancient Indo-Aryan people, Indo-Aryan civilization in present-day northwest Pakistan and northeast Afghanistan. The core of the region of Gandhara was the Peshawar valley, Peshawar (Pushkalawati) and Swat valleys extending ...

, a region in western Pakistan, was a major thoroughfare of Hellenistic, Iranic and Indo-Aryan contact. Turkey became a Turkic-speaking country as a result of Seljuq conquest and

Turkification Turkification, Turkization, or Turkicization () describes a shift whereby populations or places receive or adopt Turkic attributes such as culture, language, history, or ethnicity. However, often this term is more narrowly applied to mean specif ...

of the region. Though Pakistan is not a Turkic-speaking country, its major languages, particularly

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, also known as '' Lashkari'', are strongly influenced by the Turkic language of the Mughals before it became the empire's official language. As a result, it has borrowed many loanwords from Chagatai. The

etymology Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

of the word "Urdu" traces itself back to

Mughal rule The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

, believed to be coined by the poet

Mashafi Ghulam Ali Hamdani (1751–1844), commonly known by the Mashafi, was an Urdu ghazal poet. Works Before his time, the language known as Hindi, Hindavi, Dehlavi, Dakhini, Lahori or Rekhta was commonly known as the ''Zaban-i-Ordu'', and co ...

. Moreover, the common cultural influences on Pakistan and Turkey span several centuries, as many Turkic and Iranic peoples ruled vast areas of

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. The designs of clothing of the two countries also have common origins in Central Asia. Food is also similar to some extent such as

Kebab Kebab ( , ), kebap, kabob (alternative North American spelling), kebob, or kabab (Kashmiri spelling) is a variety of roasted meat dishes that originated in the Middle East. Kebabs consist of cut up ground meat, sometimes with vegetables an ...

Pilaf Pilaf (), pilav or pilau () is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some technique for achieving ...

and

Halva Halva (also halvah, halwa, halua, and other spellings; ) is a type of confectionery that is widely spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, Central Asia, and South Asia. The name is used for a broad va ...

although the spice content in Pakistan is different due to South Asian influence. Both the majority of Turkey's and Pakistan's population practice the

Hanafi school The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...

of Sunni Islam, although Pakistani historian Umair Khan argues that Hannafi Islam was official government policy in Kemal Pasha's nation building process, as opposed to Jinnah's nation building policies where he wanted to minimize the role of religion in Pakistani state politics. which was the interpretation of Islam implemented by the

and

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

respectively. Robust traditions of moderate Sufism exist and the religious ministers of both nations frequently contact each other. Ottoman military expeditions to Aceh and Brunei during the 1500s often involved Sindhi forces.

Pakistan and Turkey relations in present times

Relations of the two countries have been strong with Prime Minister Imran Khan visiting Turkey followed by a visit of Pakistan by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in February 2020. Pakistanis enjoy the gracious attitude of ordinary Turks towards Pakistanis and are often termed as Kardeş (brother). Turkish television shows have huge popularity in Pakistan with recently the Turkish show Ertugrul Ghazi, Payitaht Abdülhamid being dubbed by

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

in the Urdu language, and has taken the country by storm. Erdoğan became one of the few world leaders to be given an opportunity to make give a speech in the Pakistani parliament and he is quoted saying "I pray that Allah (''God'') makes the solidarity between us strong and permanent" and "As in the past, we will continue to stand by Pakistan in the future". Both the countries announced dual citizenship under the citizenship initiative, in which the citizens of Pakistan and Turkey would be able to attain joint citizenship and dual passports. Pakistani and Turkish Armed Forces also hold many joint training sessions and Turkey imports arms from Pakistan. On July 27, 2021, the first trilateral meeting of the Chairman of the National Assembly (Milli Majlis) of Azerbaijan, Sahiba Gafarova, the Chairman of the

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the Unicameralism, unicameral Turkey, Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by ...

, Mustafa Shentop, and the Chairman of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Asad Geysar, took place. During the meeting, the text of Baku Declaration was discussed and approved. The Declaration emphasizes the importance of historical and cultural ties, strengthening parliamentary dialogue and cooperation, establishment of peace, stability and development in these regions and et cetera. It was also decided to hold the second trilateral meeting of the chairmen in Islamabad, Pakistan in 2022.

Kashmir conflict

The Turkish ambassador spent a week in Pakistan administered Kashmir's capital city of

Muzaffarabad Muzaffarabad (; , IPA: ʊzəfːərɑːbɑːd is a city in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

to express solidarity with the Kashmir cause. President

recently expressed that Turkey stands with Pakistan on Kashmir issue, bringing opposition from India.

Trilateral Ankara cooperation process

Turkey launched a trilateral summit process between the two states and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

in February 2007, following a visit by then Turkish Foreign Minister

Abdullah Gül Abdullah Gül (; ; born 29 October 1950) is a Turkish politician who served as the 11th president of Turkey from 2007 to 2014. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister of Turkey, Prime Minister from 2002 to 2003, and concurrently s ...

, as the backbone of its diversified foreign policy in Southeast Asia and Pakistani deputy

Humair Hayat Khan Rokhri Muhammad Humair Hayat Khan Niazi (20 August 1966 – 9 September 2024) was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. He defeated a federal minister, Sher Afghan Khan Niazi, in the 2008 elections for the NA-72 (Mianwali II) constituency. H ...

confirmed that according to Gül "we are all brothers who need to support each other", in order to, "bring security and stability to the region". A 1 April 2009, meeting between Pakistani and Afghan leaders, conducted as part of the trilateral Ankara cooperation process, saw the three countries pledged to increase coordination between their political, military and intelligence ties in the fight against militancy and terrorism. Chairman of the Turkish–Pakistani Friendship Association Burhan Kayatürk has stated that "It is the first time that the military and intelligence chiefs of Afghanistan and Pakistan have attended the trilateral summit, which is a reflection of the deeper commitment to work together". At 17 April 2009, Friends of Pakistan Tokyo Donors Conference, Turkish State Minister

Mehmet Aydın Mehmet Aydın is a Turkish politician who was one of Turkey's Ministers of State. Pakistani and

Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

parliamentary deputies came together in

on 5 May 2009, as part of the trilateral Ankara cooperation process, where they met with the now

Turkish President The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye (), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the ...

Gül and new Foreign Minister

Ahmet Davutoğlu Ahmet Davutoğlu (; born 26 February 1959) is a Turkish academic, politician and former diplomat who served as the List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, 26th Prime Minister of Turkey and Leader of the Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Justice ...

to discuss a variety of issues. Head of the Turkish Parliament's Foreign Relations Commission Murat Mercan stated;

"Today we need cooperation between our countries more than ever. I believe Turkey, having historical brotherhood relations with both, is in a special position to improve and deepen this cooperation. Turkiye is confident that the cooperation to be established between Afghanistan and Pakistan will help a lot to solve the problems".

Chairman of the Pakistani Parliament's Foreign Relations Commission

Asfandyar Wali Khan Asfandyar Wali Khan (; ; born 19 February 1949) is a Pakistani politician from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, currently serving as the president of the Awami National Party (ANP). He is the son of Abdul Wali Khan, the party's founding president. Wali Kh ...

conveyed his thanks and stated, :''"We need Turkey’s support to build stability in the region".'' Mercan concluded, :''"We are finally on the verge of institutionalizing the trilateral Ankara cooperation process within the framework of parliamentary joint initiatives",'' with follow-up meetings due to be held in Islamabad and

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

at four-month intervals".

Military relations

Air force

Pakistan and Turkey have maintained long-standing military ties with Turkey also providing training to Pakistani air force officers in upgrading its

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...

fleet. On 2 April 1954, Pakistan and Turkey signed a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

of friendship and cooperation. Both countries, valued as important states in their regions, joined the

Central Treaty Organization The Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), formerly known as the Middle East Treaty Organization (METO) and also known as the Baghdad Pact, was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed on 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, ...

(CENTO) aimed to bolster military and strategic cooperation and counter the spread of communism and

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

influence in the region. During 1970s, Turkey had openly supported Pakistan's stance on the

Kashmir conflict The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict over the Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan, and also between China and India in the northeastern portion of the region. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1 ...

and recognized Jammu and Kashmir, as part of Pakistan, with which it endeavours to 'spice up' bilateral relations, and the Turkish ambassador to Pakistan spent nearly a week in

, the capital of Pakistan administered kashmir, in order to show Turkish solidarity with the Pakistanis in regards to Kashmir and maintained political and military support during its wars with India. Pakistan has reciprocated by expressing support for Turkey's policy on

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, island of Cyprus. It is List of states with limited recognition, recognis ...

. Both nations have sought to expand cooperation to fight terrorism. Both countries are also members of the

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC; ; ), formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1969. It consists of Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, 57 member s ...

. Turkey is also currently a major arms seller to Pakistan. Turkey previously purchased arms from Pakistan and continuous to purchase minor aerial weapons and components from Pakistan. The Pakistan and Turkish Air Force signed a deal to purchase 52 Super Mushak trainer turbo-props from Pakistan for Turkey to help train new pilots and support recovery of the

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...

in the aftermath of pilot shortages after the attempted coup. Turkey's new generation

TAI TF Kaan The TAI Kaan also called TF ("Turkish Fighter", formerly known as TF-X) and MMU (, Turkish for 'National Combat Aircraft'), is a stealth, twin-engine, all-weather air superiority fighter in development by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). Th ...

fighter jet also reportedly has Pakistani involvement in the development project.

Navy

In July 2018, Pakistan's navy signed a contract for the acquisition of four MILGEM-class (

MILGEM project The MILGEM project ''('' Turkish'': Milli Gemi Projesi;'' English'': National Ship Project)'' is a national warship program of the Republic of Turkey. Managed by the Turkish Navy, the project aims at developing multipurpose corvettes, frigates ...

) ships from Turkey which is the largest single military export deal of Turkey worth $1.5 billion. Pakistan Navy Commander Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi and Erdogan cut the first metal plate of the first of the fou
MILGEM Ada class corvette
during a ceremony held on 29 September 2019. Over the last decade, nearly 1,500 Pakistani military officers have received training in Turkey. The two are already collaborating on drone production, while Turkish and Pakistani troops held joint counter-terror exercises with Uzbek forces in Uzbekistan in April 2019. Both could soon join forces to develop and co-produce their own fighter jet after which they could go in together on a stealth fighter. Turkish military attaches from each branch of its armed forces have been posted in the Pakistani embassy in Ankara, and Turkey helped upgrade a batch of F-16 fighter jets for the Pakistan Air Force, manufacturing engines as well as spare parts. Both countries have come even closer militarily owing to security situation around their neighbors as well as due to instability in ties with the US recently. In November 2019, Navies of both countries participated in drills in the Mediterranean and Arabian Sea.

Syrian conflict

In 2020, both the Iranian and Turkish government were claimed to be recruiting Pakistani mercenaries to fight for their individual causes in Syria. The Iranian regime was claimed to be recruiting somewhere from 900-1200 Pakistani fighters trained by the Iranian armed forces while Turkey's government was set to recruit some 1400 militants, also from Pakistan, to assist the Turkish government fighting against opposing sides. These two opposing groups of Pakistani mercenaries were set to fight one another in Syria. An unnamed Turkish military official claimed that more than 50 Pakistani militants were killed by Turkish armed forces that were fighting for the Iranian side.

Aid exchange

In the aftermath of the

2005 Kashmir earthquake An earthquake occurred at on 8 October 2005 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a territory under Pakistan. Its epicenter was 19 km northeast of the city of Muzaffarabad, and 90 km north north-east of Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, ...

, Turkey stepped up its efforts to help the Pakistani people of the affected areas. Turkey announced a package of $150 million for the quake-hit people. The Turkish aid organization Kizilay also constructed a mosque in Pakistan's

azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

region bordering Indian Jammu & Kashmir. The mosque is being built in the Ottoman Style in Pakistan's

Bagh District Bagh District () is a district of Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir in the Kashmir#Dispute, disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported ...

. Pakistan supplied Turkey with aid during the 1999 earthquake and during the 2011

Van earthquake The 2011 Van earthquakes occurred in eastern Turkey near the city of Van. The first earthquake happened on 23 October at 13:41 local time. The shock had a magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''). It occurred at a ...

2022 Pakistan floods

During the 2022 floods in Pakistan which left a fraction of the country submerged in water, Turkey's government sent planes of humanitarian relief packages to Pakistan for civilians directly affected by the floods.

2023 Earthquake in Turkey

Prime Minister

Shehbaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who has served as the 20th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan since March 2024, having previously been in the role between Ap ...

offered support to Turkey after a devastating

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

. He sent 100 tons of relief goods, including food, medicine, and winterized tents and established an air bridge for transporting additional aid. He also called for a nationwide support campaign and made an appeal to the business community, religious scholars, and philanthropic organizations to contribute to the relief efforts.

Migrant crisis and crime

The issue of Pakistani migrants entering Turkey illegally with the ambition of reaching Europe for better living conditions. However not all of them make it, and eventually end up being stranded in Turkey. This has been a cause of great concern to Turkish authorities, whom have tightened their borders with neighboring European countries. Some of these illegals are alleged to have been involved in crime which has caused a great deal of negative sentiments towards Pakistanis by Turkish residents. More recently, the Pakistani

Federal Intelligence Agency The Federal Intelligence Agency () mostly known for its abbreviation AFI, was the principal intelligence agency of Argentina. This organization was the successor to the Secretariat of Intelligence (mostly known for its acronym "SIDE") and has tw ...

(FIA) has been taking action against human traffickers. It is estimated that some 5000 to 6000 Pakistanis reside in Turkey illegally, although the number keeps changing and the exact number is not yet known. More recently Pakistani illegal migrants have rerouted to Europe via other routes besides Turkey. Social media claims have been made that plenty of Afghans live illegally in Turkey on fake Pakistani passports and commit crimes there, including harassing women and girls. Separate incidents of Pakistani tourists taking inappropriate videos of local Turkish women and girls have also caused social media outrage. Two of these tourists, Muhammed Junaid and Ameer Khan were under the suspicion of the FIA of being involved in crime before they visited Turkey. After their arrest and deportation from Turkey, they were arrested by FIA officials at Islamabad airport and were scheduled to face criminal charges. The situation of illegal Pakistani migrants in Greece and Turkey, including criminals evading prosecution in Pakistan had become severe that the Pakistani federal intelligence opened offices in both countries amongst others to help track down and remove these people. The FIA also intends to open offices in other countries where illegal migrants and criminals have become a problem.

Twin towns – sister cities

Several Pakistan and Turkey cities and municipalities are twinned, including: *

with

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

Bağcılar Bağcılar is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 23 km2, and its population is 740,069 (2022). It is located on the East Thrace, European side of Istanbul, near the ...