{"id":1175,"date":"2025-05-25T15:10:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T15:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/?p=1175"},"modified":"2025-05-25T15:10:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T15:10:25","slug":"shehbaz-in-istanbul-power-talks-with-erdogan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/2025\/05\/25\/shehbaz-in-istanbul-power-talks-with-erdogan","title":{"rendered":"Shehbaz in Istanbul: Power Talks with Erdogan"},"content":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD: <\/strong>Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif landed in Istanbul on Sunday, starting his strategic four-nation tour aimed at boosting diplomatic ties and thanking allies for backing Pakistan during the recent conflict with India.
This visit marks the beginning of a diplomatic push to reinforce Pakistan\u2019s bonds with key regional players\u2014Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan\u2014countries that offered vocal support during the recent military standoff with India.
The tour, which runs from May 25 to 30, is not just symbolic. It\u2019s a calculated diplomatic move to acknowledge the solidarity shown by these nations and to ensure that Pakistan\u2019s foreign policy posture remains assertive and appreciative in the international arena.<\/p>\n

Warm Welcome at Istanbul Airport<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Shehbaz received a red-carpet reception upon arrival. He was greeted by Turkish National Defence Minister Yasar G\u00fcler, Istanbul Governor Davut Gul, and key figures from the Pakistan-Turkiye Cultural Association. Pakistan\u2019s diplomatic team in Turkiye was also present to welcome the premier.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Shehbaz will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for pivotal talks. The agenda includes deepening cooperation in defence, tourism, economy, and culture. The visit also aims to revisit goals from their February summit under the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.<\/p>\n

A key purpose of this visit is to express heartfelt thanks to Erdogan and the Turkish people for supporting Pakistan’s position during heightened tensions with India. Their solidarity, especially during Indian airstrikes on May 6, struck a strong chord in Islamabad.<\/p>\n

Team Shehbaz Rolls Deep<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The prime minister is accompanied by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi. Together, they plan to engage in broad discussions across all visited nations\u2014covering bilateral issues and regional peace.<\/p>\n

Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan’s visible support for Pakistan has triggered backlash in India. Indian tourists canceled trips to Turkiye and Azerbaijan. Airports in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, run by the Adani Group, even canceled contracts with Istanbul-based ground handling company \u00c7elebi.<\/p>\n

Consumer Boycotts and Business Fallout<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Indian retailers joined the protest\u2014boycotting Turkish products like coffee, jams, clothes, and cosmetics. But this pressure only adds fuel to Pakistan’s aggressive diplomatic outreach.<\/p>\n

In Tajikistan, PM Shehbaz will attend the International Conference on Glaciers in Dushanbe on May 29\u201330, capping off a tour that’s equal parts gratitude and geopolitical chess.<\/p>\n

Countering Indian Narratives<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Pakistan is going all-in diplomatically. A high-level delegation is gearing up to visit global capitals including London, Paris, Washington, and Brussels. The mission: to counter Indian propaganda and spotlight peace-disrupting actions in Kashmir and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif landed in Istanbul on Sunday, starting his strategic four-nation tour aimed at boosting diplomatic ties and thanking allies for backing Pakistan during the recent conflict with India.This visit marks the beginning of a diplomatic push to reinforce Pakistan\u2019s bonds with key regional players\u2014Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan\u2014countries that offered vocal …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[290,160,292,291],"class_list":["post-1175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-geopolitics","tag-headline","tag-influence","tag-unity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1175"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1177,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175\/revisions\/1177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}