UPDATE - Turkey to sell 4 corvettes to Pakistan

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT BY PAKISTAN NAVY

By Sarp Ozer

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has won a tender to build 4 corvettes for Pakistan Navy, Turkish National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said on Thursday.

"This will be the largest single export in the history of Turkish defense industry," Canikli told Anadolu Agency and TV broadcaster TRT during his official visit to Montenegro.

The agreement is a milestone for Turkish defense industry and has proven its adequacy, the minister said.

"Turkey has undertaken such a sophisticated project for the first time," Canikli said.

Recalling that negotiations had continued for six months, he said the parties decided to build two of the corvettes in Istanbul Shipyard and other two in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi.

A spokesman by Pakistan Navy said the contract for the procurement of the corvettes -- equipped with latest technologies, including the stealth technology -- was signed by Pakistan’s Defense Ministry and M/s ASFAT A.S. Turkey, which is a military factory and shipyard company under Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense.

“[The] contract will go a long way in fostering Pak-Turkey strategic relations which have grown with time. The induction of these ships will substantially enhance Pakistan Navy's combat capabilities and will contribute effectively towards maritime security operations in the region,” the statement said.

Defense collaboration between Ankara and Islamabad has seen a boost in recent years.

A bilateral dialogue group was established in 2003 to suggest policies and action plans for defense collaboration between the two countries.

In 2016, Turkey had gifted 34 T-37 aircraft and their spares parts to Pakistan.

* Aamir Latif in Karachi contributed to this news story.