Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has accepted Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan\u2019s invitation for a two-day official visit starting Friday (Nov 25 ), the Foreign Office (FO) announced on Thursday.
\nAccording to the FO\u2019s press release, the premier will \u201cjointly inaugurate the third of the four Milgem Corvette ships for the Pakistan Navy, PNS Khaibar, at the Istanbul Shipyard\u201d.
\nPM Shehbaz will \u201cinteract with leaders of the Turkish business community\u201d and also meet the President of the ECO Trade and Development Bank during his stay in the country\u2019s urban centre, Istanbul.
\nShehbaz and Erdogan will hold wide-ranging discussions on \u201cbilateral relations, the regional situation and other issues of common interest\u201d, the FO said.
\nThe FO added that the two countries \u201cenjoy fraternal ties deeply embedded in commonalities of faith, culture, and history and underpinned by exceptional cordiality and mutual trust\u201d.
\nThe Milgem project \u2014 based on a joint collaboration between Turkiye and Pakistan \u2014 was signed with ASFAT inc, a Turkish state-owned Defence contractor firm in 2018, according to which the Pakistan navy would acquire four Milgem-class ships from Turkey.
\nMilgem vessels are 99 metres long, have a displacement capacity of 2,400 tons and have a speed of 29 nautical miles.
\nThese anti-submarine combat frigates, which can be hidden from the radar, would further enhance the defence capability of the Pakistan Navy.
\nThe launching ceremony for the first Corvette for the Pakistan Navy, PNS Babur, was performed in Istanbul in August 2021 while the groundbreaking for the second ship, PNS Badr, was held in Karachi in May 2022, the FO said.
\nIt added that the project \u201crepresents a significant milestone in the Pakistan-Turkiye strategic partnership that continues to progress on an upward trajectory\u201d.
\nPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier visited Turkiye in May-June 2022, the press release said.
\nThe FO termed the frequent leadership-level exchanges to be a \u201cdefining feature of the eternal bonds of Pakistan-Turkiye friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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