ANKARA (AA): Turkey’s president on Sunday attended a dual ceremonycommissioning a new Turkish naval rship while starting construction of aship set to be sold to Pakistan’s navy.
Turkey is one of 10 countries worldwide able to build, design, and maintainwarships using its own national capabilities, President Recep TayyipErdogan told the ceremony for the TCG Kinaliada, commissioned today for theTurkish navy, and a MILGEM (Turkish national warship program)-class shipbeing built for Pakistan.
In his speech, Erdogan said he hoped the Kinaliada (F-514), an Ada-classcorvette, will benefit the Turkish nation and its sailors and further hopesPakistan, a friendly sister nation to Turkey, will also benefit from theship whose construction started today.
“Our navy, rich with glorious victories, is carrying this legacy into thefuture by further strengthening it,” he said.
Its top-class “equipment, discipline, qualified personnel and all theaccomplishments it undertakes” make Turkey proud, he said.
Erdogan said recent events globally and especially in the Mediterraneanpoint to the need to strengthen Turkey at sea, as in all other areas.
Read Top Stories
Greece and Greek Cyprus have recently challenged Turkey’s right to use theenergy resources of the Eastern Mediterranean, but Turkey has not backeddown, and continues to send drill ships to the region with military escorts.
Turkey is resolved to reach heights domestically in all areas includingshipbuilding, artillery, missiles, torpedoes, and electronic systems,Erdogan said.
In July 2018 Pakistan’s navy signed a contract for the acquisition of fourMILGEM-class ships from Turkey.
