Karachi: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, along-side Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, jointly launched PNS Tariq Corvette, at a ceremony held today in Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works, Karachi.

Addressing the ceremony, PM Sharif appreciated the close defence collaboration between the brotherly countries. He referred to the ‘MILGEM’ project based on joint collaboration between the two countries, as a significant milestone in the Pakistan-Türkiye strategic partnership. He underscored the importance of enhancing bilateral defence cooperation in new and emerging technologies and joint defence production. Echoing the warm bilateral sentiments, Vice President Yilmaz shared the desire to further deepen the special bilateral relationship, solidifying it through strategic and economic cooperation.

After the ceremony, Vice President Yilmaz called on Prime Minister Sharif. The two leaders held discussion on wide-ranging issues encompassing bilateral relations, the regional situation and other areas of mutual interest. Appreciating the strong bilateral cooperation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the importance of transforming the brotherly relations into mutually rewarding trade and economic ties. He underscored the importance of enhancing people-to-people contacts and joint collaborations in R&D, IT, energy, infrastructure, food security, tourism and mining sectors. Both the leaders agreed to continue close coordination and engagement through well-established bilateral mechanisms to continue with the upwards trajectory of bilateral relations.

The launching ceremony for the first MILGEM Corvette PNS Babur was performed in Istanbul in August 2021, second MILGEM Corvette PNS Badr in Karachi in May 2022, and third MILGEM Corvette PNS Khaiber in November 2022 in Istanbul. PNS Tariq is the fourth MILGEM Corvette.

Pakistan and Türkiye enjoy fraternal ties deeply embedded in commonalities of faith, culture and history and defined by exceptional cordiality and mutual trust.