Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attended a ceremony for commissioning a new Turkish naval ship while starting the construction of a ship to be sold to Pakistan’s navy.
Turkey is one of the 10 countries in the world that’s able to build, design, and maintain warships with its own expertise, said the President while talking about the TCG Kinaliada, commissioned for the Turkish navy, and a MILGEM (Turkish national warship program)-class ship that is being built for Pakistan.
MILGEM
MILGEM anti-submarine combat frigates, which can be hidden from the radar, which will enhance the defense capability of the Pakistan Navy.
While two corvettes will be built in Turkey, the next two will be built in Pakistan.
In his speech, Erdogan said that he hopes Kinaliad, an Ada-class corvette, will benefit Turkey, hoping that Pakistan will also benefit from the ship.
In July 2018 Pakistan’s navy signed a contract for the acquisition of four MILGEM-class ships from Turkey.
President Erdogan said,
Our navy, rich with glorious victories, is carrying this legacy into the future by further strengthening it. Its top-class equipment, discipline, qualified personnel, and all the accomplishments it undertakes make Turkey proud.
He added that recent global events, especially near the Mediterranean, point to the need to strengthen Turkey at sea, as in all other areas.
Turkey is resolved to reach heights domestically in all areas including shipbuilding, artillery, missiles, torpedoes, and electronic systems, Erdogan said.
