Pakistan and Turkey have strengthened their partnership in energy and mining, signing key agreements on Tuesday that are expected to attract over $300 million in investment, primarily for offshore drilling and exploration projects.
Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, who visited Pakistan, highlighted plans for additional joint ventures in oil and gas exploration, energy infrastructure, and mining, emphasizing that deeper collaboration in these sectors would help achieve the shared goal of $5 billion in bilateral trade.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif witnessed the signing of several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements, including petroleum concessions for multiple offshore and onshore blocks such as Eastern Offshore Indus-C, Ziarat North, Sukhpur-II, Deep-C, and Deep-F.
Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik welcomed the deals, noting that these investments will boost the energy sector and strengthen Pakistan-Turkey relations.
PM Shehbaz Sharif regards Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a brother, reflecting a spirit of friendship that drives collaboration across strategic sectors.
Executives from Mari Energies, OGDC, and PPL presented ongoing and planned projects, highlighting opportunities for Turkish partners to engage in oil, gas, and mining ventures, including unconventional hydrocarbon projects like shale and tight gas exploration and the Reko Diq copper and gold project.
As part of the agreements, a Turkish Petroleum office will open in Islamabad in December, with 10 Turkish nationals working alongside local staff.
A unified approach to petroleum procurement through a joint trading company was also discussed to strengthen energy security for both countries.
The MoUs included an assignment of a 25% working interest of Indus Offshore Block-C to Turkish Petroleum Overseas Company (TPOC), with Mari Energies and OGDC as joint-venture partners.
Exploration licenses were granted for Offshore Deep-C and Deep-F Blocks, and onshore blocks including Sukhpur-II and Ziarat North, involving Mari Energies, TPOC, OGDC, PPL, and GHPL.
Looking ahead, Pakistan is encouraging private-sector participation in the privatization of power distribution companies (DISCOs).
Turkish firms, with their expertise in energy, are expected to play a pivotal role.
Federal Minister for Power Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari noted the opportunity for Pakistan’s energy experts to learn from Turkey’s private-sector-driven energy model and announced that three DISCOs will soon be offered for privatization.
This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to sustainable development, investment, and long-term energy security, strengthening bonds between Pakistan and Turkey while opening doors for innovation, growth, and humanitarian benefits in the energy sector.
