- PAF fighters also participate in a bilateral exercise
KARACHI: The maiden Pakistan Navy-Turkish Navy Bilateral Exercise – Drawn sword of Islam – conducted in the North Arabian Sea has culminated.
TCG Geliolu, a frigate from the Turkish Navy, and the PN ships Saif, Aslat, Nasr, Quwwat, Azmat and Zarrar including fixed and rotary wing aircraft of the Pakistan Naval Aviation participated in the exercise.
Fighters from the Pakistan Air Force also took part in the exercise. The main objective of the exercise was to enhance interoperability of the two brotherly navies. The exercise covered a wide range of maritime operations encompassing anti-surface, anti-air and the anti-submarine warfare as well as maneuvering and communication exercises.
Counter piracy drills were also carried out in which boarding teams demonstrated practical boarding operations onboard a suspect vessel. The exercise proved mutually rewarding to hone professional skills of participating personnel from both the navies and learn from each others’ experiences.
The exercise was also witnessed by Turkish Consul General Tolga Ucake who was hosted onboard TCG Geliboul and the PNS Aslat at sea. The consul general congratulated the PN and TN participants for the successful conduct of the first-ever Pakistan Navy-Turkish Navy bilateral exercise and hoped that the exercise would become a regular feature between both the navies in future.
The exercise – Turgutries-2018 – is a testimony of the Pakistan Navy’s resolve to work towards regional peace and maintain close relations with all the brotherly navies. The exercise was aimed at further booting and strengthening ties between Pakistani and Turkish navies in times to come.