Pakistan–Turkey relations are the bilateral relations between

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. Pakistan has an embassy in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

, a Consulate-General in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

and an honorary consulate in

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...

whereas, Turkey has an embassy in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

, a Consulate-General in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

and honorary consulates in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

Sialkot Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Ka ...

and

Faisalabad Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur (Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pakis ...

. 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 The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...

when the Muslims of the northwestern British Raj sent financial aid to the declining

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, which was followed by the formation of the Turkish Republic and the Independence of Pakistan. Additionally, the countries share historical Islamic ties, as the Muslims living under the British Raj deemed the Ottoman Sultan as their

Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

, and the Caliph of Islam and all Muslims. As a result, Pakistan and Pakistanis have 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 prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to m ...

Talat Masood Lieutenant-General 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 engineerin ...

said that Turkey and Pakistan enjoy close relations during both democratic and military regimes, reflecting the depth of the relations between the two nations.

75th anniversary of diplomatic relations

On Nov 16, 2022,

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. It ...

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 was among a few countries that quickly recognized Pakistan after its creation and supported its successful bid to become a member of the UN. 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 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

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...

, who grew up in Turkey and had received extensive military training there.

Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 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 ...

is honoured as a great leader in Turkey, and a major road of the Turkish capital

, the Cinnah Caddesi is named after him, while roads in

, and

Larkana Larkana ( ur, , translit=lāṛkāna; sd, لاڙڪاڻو, translit=lāṛkāṇo) 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 M ...

are named after Atatürk. On 26 October 2009, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was awarded the Nishan-e-Pakistan and was the fourth world leader who spoke to the Pakistani parliament.

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 an Asian 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 de ...

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 the following countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. The objective ...

(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 ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering 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 cu ...

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

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

lentils The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest produ ...

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 engin ...

, 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. 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: ''Türk Hava Yolları'') is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 340 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the ...

and transit through Turkey 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 The Iranian peoples or Iranic peoples are a diverse grouping of Indo-European peoples who are identified by their usage of the Iranian languages and other cultural similarities. The Proto-Iranians are believed to have emerged as a separate ...

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

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 eventuall ...

cultures at various points in history. By the fifth century BCE, Persian Empires spread from

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

to the Indus River, 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. Map of the Empire of Alexander the Great (1893)

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, or Graeco-Indian Kingdom, also known historically as the Yavana Kingdom (Yavanarajya), was a Hellenistic-era Greek kingdom covering various parts of Afghanistan and the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent (p ...

s and

Greco-Buddhism Greco-Buddhism, or Graeco-Buddhism, is the cultural syncretism between Hellenistic culture and Buddhism, which developed between the fourth century BC and the fifth century AD in Gandhara, in present-day north-western Pakistan and parts of nort ...

. Gandhara, 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 ( tr, Türkleştirme) describes a shift whereby populations or places received or adopted Turkic attributes such as culture, language, history, or ethnicity. However, often this term is more narrowly ...

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

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' 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 ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

of the word "Urdu" traces itself back to

Mughal rule The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, believed to be coined by the poet

Mashafi Ghulam Hamdani (1751–1844), known by the takhallus (nom de plume) of Mas'hafi (مصحفی ''maṣḥafi''), was an Urdu ghazal poet. Works Before his time, the language known as Hindi, Hindavi, Dehlavi, Dakhini, Lahori or Rekhta was comm ...

. 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, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

. 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, Pilaf and Halva 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 ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools (maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named afte ...

of Sunni Islam, which was the interpretation of Islam implemented by the

and

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

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 ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...

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 , image =Sahiba Gafarova (23-09-2020).jpg , order = , title = Speaker of the National Assembly , term_start = 10 March 2020 , term_end = , predecessor = Ogtay Asadov , ...

, the Chairman of the

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Const ...

, 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 to express solidarity with the Kashmir cause. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently expressed that Turkey stands with Pakistan on Kashmir issue, bringing opposition from India.

Misbehaviour by Pakistanis

In 2022, there were a number of cases reported where Pakistani men were found to be making inappropriate videos of Turkish women and children. This resulted in outrage on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

trend with hashtags 'Pakistani Perverts' and 'Pakistan Get Out' trending. In April 2022, four Nepalis nationals were abducted by a group of six Pakistani men from

Taksim Square Taksim Square ( tr, Taksim Meydanı, ), situated in Beyoğlu in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the c ...

at gunpoint. The Nepalese were tortured and a ransom of 10,000 Euros was demanded. A few days later, Turkey tightened its visa policy and stopped issuing temporary residence permits to Pakistani nationals.

Trilateral Ankara cooperation process

Turkey launched a trilateral summit process between the two states and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

in February 2007, following a visit by then

Turkish Foreign Minister This is a list of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey. List The position of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey was established in 1920, during the Turkish War of Independence. List of ministers of foreign affairs by time in office ...

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

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

Humair Hayat Khan Rokhri Muhammad Humair Hayat Khan Niazi of Rokhri (born 20 October 1966) has been 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 may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

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 ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national govern ...

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 26th Prime Minister of Turkey and Leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) from 2014 to 2016. He previously served as ...

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. Turkey 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 (Urdu and Pashto: اسفندیار ولی خان) (born 19 February 1949) is a Pakistani Pashtun politician who is the president of the Awami National Party (ANP). His father, Abdul Wali Khan, was the party's first presiden ...

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 (; ps, , ; , ) 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; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

at four-month intervals".

Military relations

Pakistan and Turkey have maintained long-standing military ties with Turkey also providing training to Pakistani air force officers in upgrading its F-16 fleet. On 2 April 1954, Pakistan and Turkey signed a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pe ...

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

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

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

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

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, with China playing a third-party role. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1947 as both India and Pakistan claimed ...

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

Muzaffarabad Muzaffarabad (; ur, ) is the capital and largest city of Azad Kashmir, and the 60th largest in Pakistan. The city is located in Muzaffarabad District, near the confluence of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers. The district is bounded by the Pak ...

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

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

. 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 The PAC MFI-17 Mushshak (Urdu: مشاق) (English: ''Proficient'') is a license-built fixed-gear basic trainer aircraft manufactered by PAC. An improved version of the Saab Safari (MFI-15), the MFI-17 is manufactured in Kamra, Pakistan by Pakis ...

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; tr, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri, TSK) are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. Turkish Armed Forces consist of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces. The current Chi ...

in the aftermath of pilot shortages after the attempted coup. In July 2018, Pakistan's navy signed a contract for the acquisition of four MILGEM-class (

MILGEM project MILGEM project is a national warship program of the Republic of Turkey. Managed by the Turkish Navy, the project aims at developing multipurpose corvettes, frigates and destroyers that can be deployed in a range of missions, including reconnaissa ...

) 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.

Aid exchange

In the aftermath of the

2005 Kashmir earthquake The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at on 8 October in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir. It was centred near the city of Muzaffarabad, and also affected nearby Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Indian-administered Jammu an ...

, 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 region bordering Indian Jammu & Kashmir. The mosque is being built in the Ottoman Style in Pakistan's Bagh District. Pakistan supplied Turkey with aid during the 1999 earthquake and during the 2011 Van earthquake.

Twin cities and towns

Pakistan and Turkey have many sister cities and twin towns. *

and

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it ...

and Izmir

References

External links

Turkey-Pakistan Security Relations since the 1950s
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakistan-Turkey Relations Bilateral relations of Turkey