PM Shehbaz's visit to bring new dimension to bilateral ties: Turkish FM

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's official visit to Turkey will bring a "new dimension" to bilateral ties.

He made the remarks after a meeting in Ankara. "Met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of brotherly Pakistan. His timely visit will bring new dimensions to our outstanding relations," Cavusoglu said on Twitter.

PM Shehbaz landed in the Turkish capital on Tuesday on a three-day official visit, his first tour to Turkey since taking office in April.

During the meeting, the premier expressed the importance of increasing bilateral trade volume to $5 billion over the next three years, according to a statement by Foreign Ministry.

Read more: Pakistan 'genuinely' wants to increase trade relations with Turkey: PM Shehbaz

"The Prime Minister noted that the bilateral relations were exceptionally warm as the people of the two countries shared special bonds that dated back centuries," the ministry said in a statement.

He also highlighted convergence between the two countries on a range of regional and international issues, it added.

In his address to the Turkey-Pakistan Business Council on Tuesday evening, he said Islamabad wanted to boost bilateral trade and cultural ties with Ankara.

Sharif is scheduled to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later in the day, which will be followed by a joint press conference.