Oil & Gas

In a significant step toward strengthening energy cooperation, Türkiye and Pakistan signed a joint bidding agreement on Tuesday for offshore oil and gas exploration across 40 blocks in Pakistan. The agreement was formalized during the 2025 Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum held in Islamabad, with the signing ceremony attended by Turkish Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar and Pakistan's Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik. This move marks a promising chapter in bilateral relations, focusing on resource exploration and energy security.

The Pakistan Petroleum Ministry confirmed that the bidding agreement was signed on the margins of the investment forum and includes exploration blocks located in the Makran and Indus offshore basins. These areas were made available in February as part of a new licensing round. "This bid round is a significant opportunity for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country's upstream energy sector," the ministry highlighted, underlining the importance of international partnerships in unlocking Pakistan's untapped energy potential.

The agreement brings together Pakistan’s key players in the petroleum sector — Mari Energies Limited, Oil and Gas Development Company Limited, and Pakistan Petroleum Limited — with Türkiye’s state-owned TPAO (Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı). According to the official statement, “this strategic collaboration will bring much-needed FDI to Pakistan and pave the way for the sharing and deployment of international technologies, expertise and skillsets” to harness the country's offshore energy resources.

Minister Malik expressed optimism about the cooperation, emphasizing that Islamabad is committed to providing full support and strongly encourages such collaborations. Meanwhile, Bayraktar commended Pakistan for hosting the minerals investment forum, reflecting Türkiye’s growing interest in South Asia’s resource-rich territories. This partnership signals not just mutual economic gain, but a deepening of strategic ties between the two nations in the evolving global energy landscape.