Story: Türkiye-Pakistan; 22-02-2024;
Pakistan Navy to get third warship built under MILGEM (a national warship program of the Republic of Turkey), Pakistan and Türkiye are building four Babur-class corvettes (to be one of the most technologically advanced surface platforms of the Pakistan Navy fleet.) for the Pakistan Navy in a joint project.
• First of the vessel was PNS Babur, which was launched on 15 August 2021.
• Inauguration the third warship, PNS Khaibar was held today in Istanbul.
• The MILGEM-class corvette, named PNS Badr, was launched in a ceremony at a shipyard in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, in 2022.
These ships are capable of performing all kinds of military duties from air defense to submarine defense, These include reconnaissance, surveillance, early warning, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare, and amphibious operations.
In July 2018, the Pakistan Navy signed a contract for the acquisition of four MILGEM-class ships with Türkiye’s state-run defence firm ASFAT, under which two corvettes were to be built in Türkiye and two in Pakistan, also involving the transfer of technology.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif attend ceremony in Istanbul for launch of third warship built under MILGEM project.
Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif is on the visit to Istanbul for the inauguration of a naval warship built by Türkiye for the Pakistan Navy.
Pakistani PM is on two day visit to Turkey, Sharif attended the ceremony in Istanbul on the 25th, and will stay until 26th, at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
The entire event and deal between the two powerful Muslim majority countries is said to be another milestone in furthering their strategic bilateral partnership.
Sharif said:
• Pakistan would want the bilateral trade to go up from $1 billion to $5 billion in coming years.
• Brotherly Türkiye has always stood with us & helped during natural disasters.
• We're deeply committed & engaged in defence area.
“Pakistan and Türkiye enjoy fraternal ties deeply embedded in commonalities of faith, culture and history and underpinned by exceptional cordiality and mutual trust,” the PMO said in a press handout.
“The MILGEM project represents a significant milestone in the Pakistan-Türkiye strategic partnership that continues to progress on an upward trajectory.”
• MILGEM is important project we have with brotherly Pakistan.
• Pakistan flood disaster broke our hearts & we mobilised resources.
• We'll continue to stand by Pakistan in future as we've done in past.
• Turkiye will work day and nigth to achieve $5 billion trade, with Pakistan.
Pakistani PM Sharif proposes extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), inviting Türkiye to join the multi-billion-dollar project.
Erdogan: Türkiye developing trilateral ties with Pakistan, Azerbaijan.
Turkish president said his country is also rapidly developing trilateral cooperation with Pakistan and Azerbaijan, the tactical and wartime cooperation between the trio was put on the display just recently, when all three countries did military drills jointly.
Nagorno-Karabakh's war between Azerbaijan-Armenia witnessed the military assistance at many levels from the Türkiye. Many reports claim that even Pakistan provided assistance to Azerbaijan in the war, which all played a key role in Azerbaijan freeing the occupied regions on Nagorno-Karabakh.