PM Shehbaz Sharif met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Ashgabat forum and expressed Pakistan’s resolve to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Turkiye in key sectors. The two leaders praised the deep and historic ties between their nations.
They welcomed recent high-level engagements and the upcoming session of the Pak-Turkiye Joint Ministerial Commission. PM Shehbaz highlighted energy, petroleum and minerals as priority areas and encouraged the timely implementation of new agreements. He also sought Turkish support in the privatization of Pakistan’s distribution companies.
The prime minister also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Both leaders praised each other’s support during past regional conflicts and agreed to boost trade, border security, and transport connectivity, including work on the ‘Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul rail link’.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif meets the President of Iran Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the International Forum on Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.#PMShehbazInTurkmenistan pic.twitter.com/RzLUb0Td3T
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) December 12, 2025Had a most warm and constructive meeting with H.E. Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Turkmenistan in Ashgabat this evening.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) December 11, 2025
I congratulated him on the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s Permanent Neutrality and the UN’s designation of 2025 as the International Year of Peace… pic.twitter.com/gltIf3NcFH
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PM Shehbaz also interacted informally with several other leaders, including Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, and the presidents of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Earlier, he met Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to expand connectivity through land and sea routes.
Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met his counterparts from Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, Oman, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. They discussed regional developments and agreed to deepen cooperation in trade, connectivity, transport links, and people-to-people exchanges.
Good to catch up with my brothers, FM Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi @badralbusaidi of Oman and FM Hakan Fidan @HakanFidan of Türkiye, today in #Ashgabat on the sidelines of the Peace & Trust Conference.
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) December 12, 2025
We exchanged views on regional & international developments, and… pic.twitter.com/XPh4HFEaaS
