Turkey offers to dramatically increase sale of military hardware to Pak

Ankara (Turkey), Dec 8(ANI): Pakistan and Turkey have agreed to strengthen their bilateral ties to "greater heights" through enhanced cooperation in a range of areas, including defence, with Turkey offering military hardware and assistance in infrastructure building.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced this after co-chairing the first High-Level Cooperation Council meeting in Ankara.

The two sides also signed 18 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and protocols for increased cooperation in various fields, including health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, housing and media.

Erdogan said that the Turkish defence industry had significant production capacity in armoured personnel carriers, unmanned aerial vehicles and sea vessels.

He also emphasised that Turkey would start production of attack helicopters by 2013, while referring to possibilities of defence cooperation between the two countries.

"We are moving forward very confidently and engaging in commercial relations, and this is essence of defence sector," the Daily Times quoted Erdogan, as saying.

Gilani and Erdogan also agreed to deepen security cooperation in their campaigns against terrorism and extremism, illicit arms trafficking, as well as counter-narcotics and human smuggling.

The two sides also agreed to exchange of cultural delegations, academia and parliamentarians for strengthened people-to-people contacts. (ANI)