UPDATE - Türkiye determined to continue its strategy to root out terrorism at its source: President

UPDATES WITH REMARKS FROM TURKISH PRESIDENT, PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye is determined to continue its strategy to root out terrorism at its source, the nation's president said on Friday.

"No matter who terrorists collude with, Türkiye will always hold them accountable for every drop of blood they shed," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the launching ceremony of the third vessel of the four MILGEM Ada class corvettes – a joint venture of Türkiye and Pakistan – at the Istanbul Shipyard.

"No one can teach lessons to Türkiye, which is the only NATO ally that fought Daesh/ISIS hand to hand and was victorious," Erdogan said, referring to the cross-border anti-terror operations in northern areas of Iraq and Syria, near the Turkish border.

"Especially those (countries) coming from tens of thousands of kilometers away and wreaking havoc in case of the slightest attack against them" cannot expect Türkiye to tolerate terrorists nesting along its border, he said.

During the event, Erdogan and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif jointly inaugurated the third of four MILGEM corvette ships manufactured by Türkiye for the Pakistan Navy.

- Türkiye's defense industry

"Türkiye has become an important global actor in its region with the breakthroughs it has made in recent years. Undoubtedly, our defense industry has a very important role for us to come to this point," Erdogan said.

Only 62 defense projects were carried out in 2002, while it now exceeds 750 projects, he further said.

In 2002, Ankara's budget for defense projects was barely $5.5 billion, the president said, adding, Türkiye has reached a budget of $75 billion with tenders of approximately $60 billion today.

Türkiye's annual export will "hopefully" reach $4 billion by the end of the year, he also said.

"We design, manufacture, and develop the systems we need in a wide range from weapons and ammunition to missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, land-sea vehicles, helicopters, and ships, both locally and nationally," he said.

Türkiye is one of the 10 countries in the world that can design, construct and maintain warships using domestic resources.

- Cooperation with Pakistan

Warships with the most advanced equipment that Türkiye makes as a part of the MILGEM project have a "competitive power around the world," Erdogan said.

In addition to developing and manufacturing this technology, Ankara also makes every contribution needed to strengthen the defense infrastructure of Pakistan, he added.

"We are planning to deliver our fourth and last ship to our Pakistani brothers in February 2025," Erdogan said.

Also addressing the ceremony, Sharif praised Türkiye's cooperation with Pakistan, with an emphasis on the deep-rooted historical ties between Ankara and Islamabad.

"The defense collaboration between Pakistan and Türkiye for the construction of MILGEM-class warships was aimed at promoting peace and warding off aggression," he said.

The Pakistani premier called for further strengthening joint defense production capabilities, saying: "The Pakistan-Türkiye strategic partnership was a source of stability for the entire region."

The first corvette for the Pakistan Navy, PNS Babur, was launched in Istanbul in August last year, while the groundbreaking for the second ship, PNS Badr, took place in Karachi in May.

In July 2018, the Pakistan Navy signed a contract for the acquisition of four MILGEM-class ships with Türkiye's state-run defense firm ASFAT. According to the plan, two corvettes will be built in Türkiye and the other two will be built in Pakistan, which also involves technology transfer.

MILGEM vessels are 99 meters (325 feet) long with a displacement capacity of 24,00 tons and can move at a speed of 29 nautical miles. The anti-submarine combat frigates can be hidden from radar.