Turkish VP arrives in Karachi to attend launching ceremony of PNS TARIQ

ISLAMABAD: Cevdet Yilmaz, Vice President of the Republic of Turkiye, has arrived in Karachi on a two-day official visit to Pakistan, to attend the launching ceremony of fourth MILGEM Class Corvette – PNS Tariq –at the Karachi Shipyard, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

According to details, the Turkiye’s vice president was received by Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah at Jinnah International Airport.

The launch of the fourth MILGEM Class Corvette – PNS Tariq will take place on Wednesday, a Foreign Office statement said.

Initiated in 2018, the MILGEM project envisages the construction of four Corvettes for the Pakistan Navy – two in Pakistan and two in Turkiye.

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.

During his visit, Vice President Yılmaz will also hold bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Sharif and other Pakistani officials. He will discuss ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership between Türkiye and Pakistan.

Pakistan and Türkiye enjoy deep-rooted fraternal ties, characterized by frequent exchanges at the leadership level, commonality of views on regional and global issues and strengthened cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.