By News Centre

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and National Defense Minister Yaşar
Güler visited Pakistan for diplomatic talks. Minister Fidan met
with Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar in the capital,
Islamabad, and then addressed a press conference.

Fidan announced that the agreement reached with Pakistan will
allow Turkish companies to engage in oil and natural gas
exploration off the coast of Pakistan, a first. He stated that
“cooperation mechanisms in mining, natural gas, oil, and rare
earths” are being evaluated, adding, “In this context, the
agreement signed between the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO)
and Pakistan’s national oil companies in April of this year
represents a very significant step.”

Fidan stated that the foundation of the exceptional relations
between Turkiye and Pakistan is the brotherly bond between their
peoples, and that the strong bond between the two countries’
leaders leads to more concrete and productive results. “Our duty is
to transform our brotherly relationship into an institutional
partnership,” Fidan said. “We are taking extremely strong and
determined steps in this direction,” he said, noting that
cooperation in the fields of economy, energy, defense industry,
education, and culture is increasing daily.

Fidan stated that Turkiye and Pakistan have made significant
strides in the defense industry, saying, “These achievements are a
source of pride for all of us. We want to strengthen our
cooperation in the defense industry in the coming period. This will
be a highly strategic step for the security of our countries. We
have ongoing projects in many areas in this regard.” Fidan noted
that the two countries have demonstrated a strong resolve in the
fight against terrorism for many years and stated that they will
continue to support each other in this regard.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who continues his diplomatic
activities with a visit to Pakistan, will next stop in Malaysia.
Fidan will make an official visit to Malaysia today to attend the
Seventh Tripartite Meeting of the Turkiye-ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue
Partnership (SDO). Also attending the trilateral meeting will be
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, in his capacity as ASEAN
Chairman, and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn. Fidan most
recently attended the trilateral meeting held on July 26, 2024, in
Laos, as part of the 57th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Fidan, who is
scheduled to speak at the meeting, is expected to emphasize that
the Asia-Pacific is currently at the center of geopolitical,
economic, and environmental crises and to emphasize Türkiye’s
support for this effective multilateralism.