Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf has been conferred with the prestigious “Legion of Merit of the Turkish Armed Forces” during his official visit to Türkiye, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced on Tuesday.
Upon his arrival at the Turkish Naval Forces Headquarters, Admiral Ashraf was presented with a guard of honour. He held a significant meeting with the Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces, where both sides discussed matters of mutual interest and bilateral maritime cooperation.
During the visit, the Naval Chief also met with Türkiye’s Minister of Defence, Chief of General Staff, and Commander of the Turkish Naval Fleet. The meetings focused on enhancing regional maritime security, strengthening defence ties, holding joint naval exercises, and expanding training collaboration between the two countries.
As part of his itinerary, Admiral Ashraf visited the Istanbul Naval Shipyard to assess the progress of the Pakistan Navy’s MILGEM project and toured the Golcuk Naval Base to observe Türkiye’s submarine construction capabilities.
The Naval Chief also visited various Turkish naval facilities, including warships, and paid homage at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk by laying a wreath.
The visit is expected to further strengthen the strategic naval partnership between Pakistan and Türkiye, reinforcing the deep-rooted ties between the two brotherly nations.