Islamabad-UNS:Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif addressed a ceremony on the occasion of the 102nd Republic Day of Türkiye, reaffirming the depth of Pakistan-Türkiye relations and signalling a new era of strategic partnership between the two countries.
Key highlights from the address:
The event, held at the Turkish national day in Islamabad, brought together senior Pakistani government officials, diplomats, and members of Türkiye’s community in Pakistan.
PM Sharif praised Türkiye’s “remarkable journey of progress and development” under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, describing Türkiye as “a leading light of progress, development, and resilience.”
He emphasized that Pakistan and Türkiye are “united by bonds of faith, history and fraternity that transcend geography and time.”
According to Sharif: “Our relationship has entered a new era of strategic partnership … as we strive together to unlock the vast potential of our time-tested and enduring ties in all areas of shared interest.”
He acknowledged that Türkiye has stood by Pakistan through various challenges — wars, floods, earthquakes — and that this support reinforces the “rock-solid” bond between the nations.
The Prime Minister also pointed to expanding cooperation in defence, technology transfer, trade and investment, which underscores the growing strategic dimension of the relationship.
Context & significance:
The 102nd Republic Day of Türkiye celebrates the founding of the modern Turkish Republic in 1923 under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Pakistan has in recent years deepened its partnership with Türkiye, including joint defence cooperation (e.g., shipbuilding, drones) and stronger alignment on regional diplomatic issues.
By publicly framing the bilateral ties as entering a “new era”, Pakistan signals both to domestic and international audiences that the relationship is now moving beyond traditional friendship towards more institutionalised strategic cooperation.
The ceremony also included visual displays of the Turkish flag across major buildings in Islamabad, underlining the symbolic closeness.
Takeaways:
For Pakistan: the address underlines that Islamabad views Ankara as a pivotal strategic partner — not merely a friendly country, but one with which Pakistan wants to coordinate in defence, industry, diplomacy, and technology.
For Türkiye: the recognition reinforces Ankara’s role and influence in the Muslim world and highlights Pakistan as a willing partner in the region.
For observers: This kind of ceremony and high-profile address serve both as soft diplomacy and as signalling mechanisms — clarifying alliances, commitments, and future areas of cooperation.
Future focus: With the “new era” framing, expect more announcements of joint projects, trade targets, defence deals, and possibly multilateral collaboration involving both countries.
