Pakistan and Turkiye are exploring new avenues of maritime collaboration — including the launch of a ferry service between the two countries and joint ventures in shipbuilding, operations, and the shipbreaking industry.
The discussions were held during a meeting between Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and Turkish Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu.
Both sides reaffirmed their dedication to enhancing maritime linkages and developing sustainable projects that could strengthen trade and economic cooperation.
Highlighting the vast potential of Gwadar Port, Minister Junaid Anwar invited Turkish investors to participate in blue economy initiatives of Pakistan. He described Gwadar as a cornerstone of Pakistan’s future maritime growth — a port city being transformed into a modern logistics and trade hub connecting the Middle East, Central Asia, and beyond.
He noted that collaboration with Turkiye would not only improve technical expertise and industrial capacity of Pakistan, but also create new opportunities for trade and connectivity across the wider region.
“Pakistan attaches great importance to its deep-rooted friendship with Turkiye,” he said, “and we are eager to expand cooperation beyond traditional sectors to include shipping, fisheries, logistics and port development.”
Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, for his part, expressed strong interest of Turkey to expand maritime ties. He said the proposal for a Pakistan-Turkiye ferry service would be taken up with the relevant Turkish authorities, emphasizing its potential to enhance tourism, people-to-people exchanges, and bilateral trade.
Such a service, he noted, could provide an affordable and efficient means of sea transport, connecting the two nations more closely than ever before.
The Turkish minister declared that a high-level delegation of shipowners and port service providers would soon visit Pakistan. The team is going to emphasize particularly on investment opportunities at Gwadar Port, exploring ways to strengthen both countries’ roles in the regional maritime economy.
This initiative marks a significant step toward deepening Pakistan-Turkiye strategic partnership and realizing shared ambitions for a stronger, interconnected maritime future.