PM Shehbaz Sharif departs for Turkiye visit, likely to meet Nawaz, Maryam in Ankara

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has departed for a two-day visit to Turkiye where he is expected to meet Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz in Ankara who are currently visiting Europe after getting diplomatic passports.

After the completion of the appointment process of the new chief of army staff (COAS) and chairman joint chiefs of staff committee (CJCSC), PM Shehbaz Sharif flew to Turkiye on a two-day visit. Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Supremo Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz are also visiting Europe these days and they are likely to meet Shehbaz in Ankara tomorrow.

Sources told News360 that Shehbaz and Nawaz are likely to formulate the future strategy in the Ankara meeting after the COAS and CJCSC appointments.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will pay a two-day official visit to Türkiye, from November 25-26, 2022, at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a press release from Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stated on Thursday.

Alongside President Erdogan, the premier will jointly inaugurate the third of the four MILGEM Class Corvette Ships for the Pakistan Navy, PNS Khyber, at the Istanbul Shipyard, the press statement added.

The two leaders will also hold wide-ranging discussions encompassing bilateral relations, the regional situation, and other issues of common interest.

Shehbaz is also expected to interact with leaders of the Turkish business community. The president of the ECO Trade and Development Bank (ETDB) will also call on the prime minister during his stay in Istanbul.

The statement added that Pakistan and Türkiye enjoy fraternal ties deeply embedded in commonalities of faith, culture and history and underpinned by exceptional cordiality and mutual trust.

The MILGEM project, based on joint collaboration between the two countries, represents a significant milestone in the Pakistan-Türkiye strategic partnership that continues to progress on an upward trajectory.

The launching ceremony for the first corvette for the Pakistan Navy, PNS Babur, was performed in Istanbul in August 2021 while the groundbreaking for the second ship, PNS Badr, was held at Karachi in May 2022, added the statement.

The premier had earlier visited Türkiye in May-June 2022.