In accordance with Friday’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Turkiye for a two-day official visit.
Senior Turkish civil and military authorities as well as diplomats from the Pakistani Embassy and Consulate welcomed the prime minister at the Islamabad International Airport. They were joined by the deputy governor of Istanbul and other dignitaries.
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan invited the prime minister to make the trip.
The third of the four MILGEM Corvette Ships for the Pakistan Navy, PNS Khaibar, will be formally unveiled at the Istanbul Shipyard by President Erdogan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to a statement from the Foreign Office.
The statement stated that the two leaders will also undertake extensive conversations covering bilateral relations, the regional situation, and other topics of shared interest.
The FO stated that the PM will meet with leaders of the Turkish business community when he is in Istanbul, and that the head of the ECO Trade and Development Bank (ETDB) will pay him a visit.
According to the FO, Pakistan and Turkey have close ties that are rooted in shared religious beliefs, cultural traditions, and historical experiences and are supported by a high degree of mutual respect.
A crucial turning point in the Pakistan-Turkey strategic partnership, which is still growing, is the MILGEM project, which is built on mutual cooperation between the two nations.
It is important to note that the groundbreaking for the second ship, PNS Badr, was held in Karachi in May 2022, while the launching ceremony for the Pakistan Navy’s first corvette, PNS Babur, was place in Istanbul in August 2021.
In May and June of 2022, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made his last trip to Turkey.