ISTANBUL, 10 May 2017: As
part of the efforts to transform existing collaboration in the field of defence
industry into a strategic partnership, Pakistan and Turkey concluded three
important documents today. These documents were signed in the presence of
Minister for Defence Production of Pakistan Rana Tanveer Hussain and Minister
for National Defence of Turkey Mr. Fikri Işık on the sidelines of the
13thInternational Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) 2017, being held in Istanbul
from 9-12 May.
Firstly, the two sides
signed the contract for the sale of Pakistan’s 52 Super Mushshak trainer
aircraft. Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) would supply these aircraft to
Turkish Air Force. The contract was signed by Chairman PAC Air Marshal Arshad
Malik and Turkish Undersecretary SSM Prof. Dr. Ismail Demir. It may be recalled
that Letter of Intent (LoI) with Turkey for the sale of this aircraft was
signed on 22 November during International Defence Exhibition and Seminar
(IDEAS) held in Karachi from 22-25 November 2016 and witnessed Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif.
Secondly, the two countries
signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) on the four MİLGEM Ada class corvettes project.
The LoI was signed on the Pakistan side by Secretary, Defence Production, Lt.
Gen. Muhammad Owais; Undersecretary SSM Prof. Dr. Ismail Demir signed on behalf
of Turkey.
The third document was
signed between Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and Turkish Aerospace
Industries (TAI) for collaboration in the aviation field. The signatories were
Chairman PAC Air Marshal Arshad Malik and CEO of TAI Dr. Temel Kotil.
Speaking on the occasion,
Minister Rana Tanveer said "today is a historic day." With the
signing of these three documents, the level of Pakistan-Turkey defence industry
collaboration would be further intensified and enhanced, he said. He added that
the defence industries of Pakistan and Turkey had significant capacities and
capabilities and closer mutual collaboration between the two would help them
realize the full potential in an optimal manner. Among future plans, he
specifically mentioned the possibilities of joint ventures and co-production.
Congratulating Pakistan and
Turkey on achieving this milestone, Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Işık said
Pakistan is a brother, true friend and strategic partner of Turkey. He added
that these agreements would further intensify bilateral defence industry collaboration,
which was growing and could be further expanded through concerted efforts.
Recalling the support extended by the Muslims of South Asia during the Turkish
War of Independence, he said Turkey would always be the development partner of
Pakistan.
Earlier, opening session of
the Working Group meeting among Turkey-Indonesia-Pakistan-Malaysia-Qatar was
held. Speaking on the occasion, Minister Rana Tanveer emphasized the importance
of closer collaboration among these countries, which possessed important
capacities and could develop concrete cooperation through combined efforts.
Separately, Minister Rana
Tanveer had a bilateral meeting with Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik. The
two Ministers had a comprehensive exchange of views on bilateral cooperation
and specific industry projects being pursued by the two sides. Expressing
satisfaction at the flourishing relationship between Pakistan and Turkey, the
two Ministers vowed to further deepen and broaden defence and defence industry
cooperation. They noted that the agreements signed today would usher in a new
era of enhanced collaboration, based on the respective strengths of both
countries. They agreed to further increase mutual interaction and exchange of
visits and information with a view to realizing the full potential in defence
collaboration and identifying new projects. They noted that the growing level
of bilateral cooperation was consistent with the vision of the leaders on both
sides who had directed to develop a comprehensive, long-term and
forward-looking strategic framework for defence collaboration.
Secretary Defence
Production Lt Gen (R) Syed Muhammad Owais, Secretary Defence Lt Gen (R) Zamir
Ul Hassan Shah, Chairman PAC Air Marshal Arshad Malik, Ambassador of Pakistan
to Turkey Mr. Sohail Mahmood and other high ranking officials were also present
during these meetings. Senior officials of Turkey’s defence sector also
attended.
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