In a video message he sent to the launching ceremony of the third vessel of the Pakistan MİLGEM Project, Erdoğan said: “The production process of all these ships, equipped with the most modern weapons and sensor systems developed by our country, continues as planned.”

The third vessel of the Pakistan MİLGEM Project, Badr, was launched at the Karachi Dockyard in the Pakistani port city with a ceremony attended by Minister of National Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif of Pakistan, Minister of Defence Muhammad Israr Tareen of Pakistan, and other officials.

Erdoğan started by emphasizing the deep-rooted historical ties between Türkiye and Pakistan.

Wishing that the project, which is one of the most concrete and recent examples of these ties, would be auspicious, Erdoğan stated, “I deem Pakistan MİLGEM Project, which is a token of our will to share our knowledge in the field of defense with our friends, as the harbinger of greater cooperation”.

Defining Pakistan as the country with the most strategic location in South Asia, one of the most eminent geographical regions in the world, Erdoğan stated:

With its historic culture and wealth, this region has been the apple of the world's eye throughout history. Pakistan and its people hold a special place in our hearts. We feel it as a requirement of our brotherhood to contribute to the strengthening of Pakistan's military infrastructure, whose security, stability, and prosperity we regard as equivalent to ours. With this understanding, we have ensured that the project, which we started to build four MILGEM class corvettes for the Pakistani Naval Forces, continues within the framework of the set schedule without any delay, despite the pandemic. The construction phases of the vessels are being completed one by one, two of which are constructed in Pakistan and two in our country.”

“We will continue to progress together”

Calling to mind that the vessel Babur was launched last year in İstanbul within the scope of the Pakistan MİLGEM Project with the participation of President Arif Alvi of Pakistan, Erdoğan stated that they felt the joy of launching Badr today. Announcing that the other vessel of the project, Kaibar, is to be launched in September in İstanbul, Erdoğan noted:

“The production process of all these ships, equipped with the most modern weapons and sensor systems developed by our country, continues as planned. These four ships, which will be able to perform all kinds of military duties from air defense to submarine defense, will be delivered at six-month intervals beginning in August 2023. We have quite a number of defense industry projects that we conduct with our Pakistani brothers, from helicopters to aircraft. We will reinforce our friendship by realizing these projects stage by stage, cementing the road to our common future. As Türkiye and Pakistan, we will continue to go down the road together, preserving our stability, defending our unity, togetherness, and brotherhood, and strengthening our states.

Erdoğan concluded his words by congratulating all those who have contributed to the realization of this project and extending his greetings to the Pakistani people. (ILKHA)