ISTANBUL, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday pledged to boost bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and strategic sectors during talks in Istanbul.
Speaking at a joint press conference after their meeting, Erdogan said the two sides reviewed steps to expand economic ties and discussed cooperation in defense, energy, transportation, critical minerals and information technologies.
He described cooperation in defense industry as a key pillar of bilateral economic ties, noting that collaboration was expanding through new projects.
Erdogan added that the two countries were advancing plans to establish a special economic zone in Pakistan's Karachi for Turkish businesses.
On regional issues, Erdogan praised the recently signed U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding for helping ease tensions, adding that Türkiye would continue to work in solidarity with "brotherly" countries, especially Pakistan, to strengthen peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
For his part, Sharif highlighted the deep-rooted ties between the two nations and expressed confidence that bilateral trade would reach the target of 5 billion U.S. dollars. ■
