Turkish army chief meets Pakistani counterpart

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan(AA) - Turkey's Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler on Monday met with his Pakistani counterpart Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa at Pakistan army’s headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

According to Pakistan army’s spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor, the two discussed regional security and steps to further enhance bilateral defense cooperation.

Ankara and Islamabad have boosted bilateral defense and security cooperation in recent years. In October, 2018, Pakistan Navy commissioned a 17,000-ton fleet tanker built in collaboration with a Turkish defense company in the southern port city of Karachi.

This was the largest warship ever constructed in the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works in collaboration with Turkish defense contractor STM, according to Pakistan Navy.

In July 2018, Ankara won a multibillion-dollar tender to supply four corvettes to Pakistan Navy -- a deal dubbed as the biggest export for Turkey’s defense industry in history by the then Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli.

Turkey, in 2016, had gifted 34 T-37 aircraft and spares to Pakistan.

Ankara is, meanwhile, buying MFI-17 Super Mushshak aircraft from Pakistan besides upgrading three Pakistani submarines and jointly building a fleet tanker.