KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that it was high time for Pakistan and Turkey to strengthen their bilateral strategic collaboration for the success of the two countries, praising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s leadership. The joint venture project is an illustration of collaboration and support between the two fraternal countries, the prime minister stated in remarks at the launching ceremony of the fourth MILGEM Class Corvette – PNS Tariq here.The fourth MILGEM battleship had earlier been unveiled by the visiting vice president of Turkiye and the prime minister, Cevdet Yilmaz. The MILGEM project, which was started in 2018, plans to build two Corvettes in Pakistan and two in Turkiye for the Pakistan Navy.
The prime minister said Recep Tayyip Erdogan was a great leader which was reflected by his “wonderful” victory in the recent poll. Therefore, the prime minister said it was high time for both countries to enhance their strategic cooperation ad add more joint ventures in other fields. The prime minister earlier attended the launching ceremony of the third Naval Corvette, PNS Khyber, in Istanbul, in November 2022. The first two Corvettes, PNS Babur and PNS Badar were launched in Istanbul and Karachi, in August 2021 and May 2022 respectively. The MILGEM project represents an enduring symbol of Pakistan-Turkiye collaboration in the maritime domain. It is a tangible step towards self-reliance and indigenization and would fulfill the critical security needs of the Pakistan Navy. The prime minister said that Pakistan and Turkiye were tied with the commonality of faith, heritage and civilisation with both sharing perspectives on regional and global issues. Referring to the tremendous support by the people of the subcontinent during Khilafat Movement, the prime minister said the bilateral ties predated the establishment of Pakistan. “We celebrate each others’ success stories and also stand together in the face of challenges… This is the level of our relations as we share each others’ bounties and sorrows,” he remarked. The prime minister recalled Turkish President Erdogan and Turkish First Lady’s visit to Pakistan after the floods as well as the generous contribution by the Turkish people for the flood victims of 2010 as well as last year. The prime minister said that Pakistan Navy was fully dedicated to ensuring the high-quality maritime activities. He said following the increasing burden on Port Qasim of Karachi, Pakistan was needed to create linkages between Karachi and Gwadar ports as Gwadar was about to become a business center for the country as well as the region. Calling the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor a “roaring success” the prime minister said Pakistan and China had agreed to launch the second phase that would comprise green corridor, business corridor, special economic zones and IT corridors. He said the second phase was bound to increase the quantum of business transactions and Turkiye was a “natural partner” and reiterated his invitation for the country to join that join that wonderful opportunity of prosperity.
