Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Istanbul on Sunday for high-level talks focused on strengthening Pakistan-Türkiye relations and addressing regional security challenges.
The meeting came ahead of the first session of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia. The trilateral committee is holding its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on August 31.
During their meeting, Dar and Fidan reviewed progress in bilateral relations and discussed ways to further expand cooperation in political, economic, security and cultural fields. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the continued strengthening of ties between Islamabad and Ankara.
The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments, with particular attention to security challenges and efforts to promote peace and stability.
Dar and Fidan agreed on the early convening of the next session of the Pakistan-Türkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. The council provides a key institutional mechanism for coordinating bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.
The talks assume added significance as Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia move to implement their new defence cooperation framework. The Makkah agreement, signed earlier this month, provides for closer strategic coordination and collective defence cooperation among the three countries.
Pakistan’s delegation for the inaugural committee meeting includes Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. Türkiye is represented by Fidan, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.
The latest Dar-Fidan meeting underscores the growing strategic importance of Pakistan-Türkiye relations amid rapidly changing regional security dynamics.