A Turkish delegation visiting Pakistan has expressed strong interest in partnering with Pakistan—particularly in oil and gas exploration, energy infrastructure, and the mining sector—to achieve the shared goal of boosting bilateral trade to 5 billion US dollars.
This interest was expressed during a delegation-level meeting held yesterday between Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervez Malik and Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar. The meeting focused on exploring new avenues of cooperation in the oil, gas, and mining sectors. The Turkish delegation was led by Minister Bayraktar, accompanied by Deputy Minister Ahmet Berat, the Director General of MTIAC, the Director General of TPAO, and other senior officials.
At the outset, Federal Minister Ali Pervez Malik said that Pakistan attaches great importance to its longstanding brotherly relations with Türkiye. He stated that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif considers President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan his brother, and this sentiment guides the strengthening of cooperation in strategic sectors between both nations. The Turkish minister thanked Pakistan for the warm welcome and noted that relations between the two countries are rapidly progressing. He highlighted that this was his third visit to Pakistan in a short period. He shared that President Erdoğan, during his last visit to Pakistan, had instructed him to return—and he was pleased to come back with concrete and actionable projects.
He added that Türkiye is keen to initiate more joint ventures with Pakistan in oil and gas exploration, energy infrastructure, and mining, as these sectors will play a key role in achieving the 5-billion-dollar trade target. Referring to his participation in the Pakistan Minerals Investment Conference, he said the event clearly showcased the vast potential of Pakistan’s mineral wealth. For this reason, he brought along a Turkish mining company, which he said would mark a milestone in Pakistan-Türkiye cooperation in the mining sector, yielding long-term and mutually beneficial results.
During the meeting, the Managing Directors of Mari Energies, OGDCL, and PPL gave detailed briefings on their ongoing and proposed projects, highlighting opportunities for collaboration with Turkish companies in oil and gas exploration and mining. The OGDCL Managing Director also briefed the delegation on the company’s core operations, including its involvement in the Reko Diq project. He invited Turkish companies to participate in Pakistan’s first shale gas pilot project, ongoing activities in the tight-gas sector, and the non-conventional hydrocarbons program.
Later, Ali Pervez Malik and Alparslan Bayraktar agreed that a Turkish Petroleum office will be opened in Islamabad this month, where ten Turkish experts will work alongside local staff. Both ministers also agreed to explore the concept of establishing a joint trading company for petroleum procurement, aimed at developing an integrated and efficient strategy to meet energy needs. They emphasized that Pakistan’s energy sector offers vast opportunities, and national institutions are ready to work closely with Turkish investors.
At the end of the meeting, both countries expressed their commitment to enhancing investment and broadening the scope of cooperation to fully harness the potential of the Pakistan-Türkiye energy partnership.
