Pakistan, Turkey to further expand cooperation in defence field

RAWALPINDI, January 26: A Turkish delegation led by Rear Admiral Hakan Ustem, Commandant Turkish Coast Guard called on Secretary Defence Lt General (Retd) Muhammad Alam Khattak here on Tuesday.
In the meeting matters of maritime cooperation, peace in the region and on going war on terror came under discussion.
Secretary Defence said that Pakistan and Turkey enjoy traditionally warm, friendly and cordial relations marked with rich background and mutual goodwill. Both the countries have mutual understanding on the issue related to stability in Afghanistan, war on terror and the on going crisis in the Middle East.
In the wake of facing the menace of terrorism since long, both the side condemn the terrorist incidents recently took place in Istanbul and on Bacha Khan University in Charsada. They reiterated their commitments for the eradication of terrorism in their respective countries and agreed to learn from each other’s experiences in this regards.
In the meeting they have shown satisfaction over successful holding of 11th High Level Military Dialogue (HLMDG) on Regional and Global security held in Turkey last year and hoped that the 12th meeting on HLMDG scheduled this year in Pakistan would be further productive. The Secretary Defence expressed the desire to further expand cooperation between defence industries from strategic to joint venture levels. On the occasion he also took the opportunity to thank Turkish defence industry for support in Naval, Air and Communication Systems. Khattak applauded the role of the Turkish brethren during their help in the time of natural calamities when Pakistan was affected due to earthquake and flood in the recent past.-NNI