Turkish ship joins Pakistan's multinational naval drill

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - A multinational naval exercise began in the Arabian Sea near Pakistan's port city of Karachi on Friday with 37 countries, including Turkey taking part in it, according to Pakistani navy.

Pakistani navy said in a statement the Turkish ship TSG Gelibolu was also taking part in the four-day "peace" exercise, which includes an international maritime conference.

In a statement, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan was a major stakeholder in maintaining maritime security in the Arabian Sea and remains fully committed to ensuring freedom of navigation and lawful maritime order.

“Maritime security challenges in the Indian Ocean are both multidimensional and multifaceted. Threats such as maritime terrorism, drug trafficking and piracy have acquired international dimensions,” Sharif said.

He added that cooperation between international navies was imperative to countering emerging threats.

The naval exercise has been organized by Pakistan every alternate year since 2007.

Commander Pakistan Fleet Vice Adm. Arifullah Hussaini said at the opening ceremony he hoped the multinational exercise would further improve the response, tactics and procedures among various maritime forces operating in the region.