Pakistani, Turkish navies hold joint drill

Pakistani and Turkish naval forces conducted joint exercises in the Arabian Sea, officials said.

A frigate from the Turkish Navy, TCG Gökçeada, and Pakistan Navy ships Alamgir and ASLAT, and a long range maritime patrol aircraft participated in the Turgutreis III exercises.

"The main objective of the exercise was to enhance inter-operability between two brotherly navies," Pakistan Navy said in a statement.

Earlier this month, TCG Gökçeada arrived in port city Karachi for participation in the multinational maritime exercise AMAN-19 hosted by Pakistan Navy.

This is the third exercise of the Turgutreis series. The earlier exercises were conducted in Pakistani and Turkish waters, respectively.

Later, various maritime-related manoeuvres were conducted at sea which enable the crew to consolidate their tactical skills.

The exercises covered a wide range of maritime operations including table top discussions on various modern day naval warfare tactics.

Pakistan and Turkey enjoy strong relations based on religious bonding and cultural affinity.

Both countries interact regularly on various forums.

Turkish Navy is a regular participant of AMAN exercise conducted by Pakistan Navy since 2007.