PM Shehbaz arrives in Turkiye on two-day official visit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday arrived in Turkiye on an official two-day visit at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The prime minister is leading a high-level delegation.

Alongside President Erdogan, the premier will jointly inaugurate the third of the four MILGEM Class Corvette Ships for the Pakistan Navy, PNS Khyber, at the Istanbul Shipyard, the press statement added.

Earlier, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) tweeted a video of the premier's departure.

The premier also tweeted before his departure stating that high level exchanges are a defining feature of the partnership between the two countries.

“The inauguration of third MILGEM Corvette Ship represents deepening of defence cooperation between our two brotherly countries. High level exchanges are a defining feature of our partnership,” Shehbaz said.

The two leaders will also hold wide-ranging discussions encompassing bilateral relations, the regional situation, and other issues of common interest, a press release by the PMO said.

Shehbaz is also expected to interact with leaders of the Turkish business community. The president of the ECO Trade and Development Bank (ETDB) will also call on the prime minister during his stay in Istanbul.

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The statement added that Pakistan and Türkiye enjoy fraternal ties deeply embedded in commonalities of faith, culture and history and underpinned by exceptional cordiality and mutual trust.

The MILGEM project, based on joint collaboration between the two countries, represents a significant milestone in the Pakistan-Türkiye strategic partnership that continues to progress on an upward trajectory.

The 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 at Karachi in May 2022, added the statement.

Frequent leadership-level exchanges are a defining feature of the eternal bonds of the Pakistan-Türkiye friendship.

The premier had earlier visited Türkiye in May-June 2022.

During the visit, the PM had stated that Pakistan ‘genuinely and sincerely’ wanted to work with the Turkish business fraternity to promote bilateral ties and emphasised the need to tap into the enormous potential between the two countries.