The first Babur-class corvette (PN MILGEM), PNS Babur (280), was handed over to the Pakistan Navy by Turkish defence contractor ASFAT Inc at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard.
Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Güler and his Pakistani counterpart Anwar Ali Hayder attended the ceremony, along with other senior officers from the Turkish and Pakistani navies and representatives of Turkish defence companies, Naval News reported.
Speaking at the ceremony, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler stressed that the simultaneous construction of four corvettes and two offshore patrol vessels in the Istanbul and Karachi shipyards as part of Pakistan’s MİLGEM project was a first in the history of the Turkish Republic and the defence industry.
Minister Güler pointed out that relations with Pakistan are improving day by day in all fields and said, “Our defense industry projects are one of the most important pillars of our cooperation.“
The Turkish Ministry of Defence owns ASFAT Inc.
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