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

The two leaders will also hold wide-ranging discussions encompassing bilateral relations, the regional situation and other issues of common interest, the Foreign Office said in a statement. This would be Shehbaz’s second visit to the friendly country after assuming the office of prime minister.

During the last visit, PM Shehbaz aimed at boosting the bilateral trade with Turkey from $1.1 billion to $5 billion.

Earlier, the premier in a tweet said the relationship between the two countries has increased under the leadership of Erdogan.

“Being in Turkey feels like being home, overwhelmed by the warmth of our Turkish brothers & sisters,” he said in a tweet on Friday. “Our bilateral ties have entered a new era of strategic partnership under the leadership of President Erdogan. We are on course to unpack the full untapped potential of relationship.”

Erdogan, Shehbaz to inaugurate MILGEM corvette ship

PM Shehbaz alongside President Erdogan would jointly inaugurate the third of the four MILGEM corvette ships for the Pakistan Navy, PNS Khaibar, at the Istanbul Shipyard, according to the FO.

The premier would interact with leaders of the Turkish business community. The president of the ECO Trade and Development Bank (ETDB) will also call on the PM during his stay in Istanbul.

“Pakistan and Türkiye enjoy fraternal ties deeply embedded in commonalities of faith, culture and history and underpinned by exceptional cordiality and mutual trust.”

MILGEM project

The contract for four Milgem class corvettes for Pakistan Navy with concurrent Transfer of Technology (ToT) was signed with ASFAT Inc, a Turkish state-owned Defence contractor firm in 2018.

“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,” said the FO.

Two corvettes would be built in Turkey and the other two will be built in Pakistan, at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW) — Pakistan Navy’s specialised shipbuilding division — that also involves technology transfer.

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.

Milgem vessels are 99 metres long with a displacement capacity of 2,400 tonnes and can move at a speed of 29 nautical miles.

These anti-submarine combat frigates, which can be hidden from the radar, will further enhance the defence capability of the Pakistan Navy.