ANKARA, July 4 - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that efforts to secure peace in the Middle East cannot succeed without the active support of regional states, and he warned that Israel must not be allowed to "dynamite" the U.S.-Iran peace agreement. Speaking beside Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul, Erdogan insisted that durable solutions must draw on the will and contributions of neighbouring countries.
"No solution that does not take strength from the will and contributions of regional countries can be lasting," Erdogan said, emphasizing the importance of regional backing for any settlement. He went on to accuse the Israeli administration of attempting to undermine the U.S.-Iran deal that Pakistan helped mediate, and he reiterated Turkish condemnation of Israeli military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
"We are closely following the Israeli administration's attempts to dynamite the (U.S.-Iran) deal... The current war-addicted Israeli government must not be allowed to drown our geography in the smell of gunpowder and blood again," Erdogan said, framing his remarks as a warning about the potential consequences of actions he described as destabilizing.
Alongside the geopolitical message, Erdogan outlined a set of economic and strategic priorities in Turkey's relationship with Pakistan. He said Ankara intends to deepen cooperation in multiple sectors - energy, transport, critical minerals, information technology and defence - and to push toward a bilateral trade target of $5 billion.
Officials from the two countries participated in a business forum in Istanbul earlier on Saturday, a gathering that officials described as part of an effort to translate political commitments into commercial and technical collaboration. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Turkish companies are interested in contributing to projects in Pakistan and in sharing Turkey's expertise in the energy sector as Pakistan undergoes a transformation of its electricity system.
The statements combine a regional diplomatic posture with concrete economic outreach, signaling Ankara's dual focus on security and commercial ties in its engagement with Pakistan. The public remarks reflect Turkey's concern about the durability of international agreements that lack regional endorsement and its intent to expand pragmatic cooperation with allied governments.