Islamabad (April 08,2025): On the sides lines of Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025, which began in Islamabad on Tuesday, Pakistan and Turkiye have signed a joint bidding agreement to jointly participate in offshore bid round of Pakistan.

Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik and Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkiye witnessed the signing ceremony.

“In a significant development, Pakistan and Turkiye have stepped into cooperation in oil and gas exploration,” Pakistan’s Petroleum Ministry said in a statement.

Background

In February this year, the Government of Pakistan had announced an offshore block bid round, offering 40 offshore blocks in the Makran (Balochistan) and Indus basins for the grant of exploration licenses. This bid round is a significant opportunity for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country’s upstream energy sector.

“Today, we are pleased to announce that reputable Pakistani E&P companies, Mari Energies Limited, Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), and Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), have signed a Joint Bidding Agreement with Turkish state-owned enterprise, Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı (TPAO), to jointly participate in offshore bid round,” the statement said.

It added: “We believe that 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 explore and exploit the untapped potential of Pakistan’s offshore region.”

While meeting the Turkish Minister for Energy and Natural resources, Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik expressed his high hopes for  Pak-Turkiye cooperation. He remarked that seismic studies indicate significant offshore reserves. We are committed to provide full support and strongly encourage such collaborative efforts to exploring this potential. 

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