Pakistan, Turkiye deepen defence, aerospace cooperation during air chief marshal’s visit: ISPR

Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu held high-level meetings with Turkish Air Force Commander General Ziya Cemal Kadıoglu, Defence Minister Yasar Guler, and Baykar Technologies Chief Technology Officer Selcuk Bayraktar during an official visit to the Republic of Turkiye, the military's media wing reported on Friday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the visit reaffirmed the growing strategic convergence and shared commitment of both nations towards enhanced collaboration in defence, aerospace innovation and emerging technologies

Sidhu received a Guard of Honour at the Turkish Air Force Headquarters and discussed enhancing interoperability through joint exercises, training programmes, and professional exchanges, the statement said. The Turkish air chief appreciated the Pakistan Air Force’s support in training Turkish pilots, it added.

The ISPR further stated that during his meeting with the Turkish defence minister, both sides reaffirmed the strong historical and strategic ties between Pakistan and Turkiye, while exploring deeper cooperation in training, capacity building, and aerospace collaboration.

Meanwhile, in his interaction with Baykar Technologies CTO Bayraktar, Air Chief Marshal Sidhu focused on advancements in aerospace innovation, unmanned aerial systems and emerging technologies, reflecting the shared vision of both sides to pursue greater collaboration in next-generation defence technologies, ISPR added.