Pakistan and Turkey have pledged to further strengthen and increase defence collaboration between the two brotherly countries, says an official statement. They reaffirmed this resolve during the conclusion of the fourth meeting of Pakistan - Turkey High Level Military Dialogue Group (HLMDG) held in Islamabad. The concluding session was co-chaired by Pakistan's Defence Secretary Lt-Gen (retd) Tariq Waseem Ghazi and Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff General Isik Kosaner. The meeting underscored the need for closer defence cooperation between the two countries as the security environment of the region necessitated that the Armed Forces of the two countries should enhance the level of cooperation and take the existing military and defence cooperation to the maximum desirable level. The meeting agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of Research and Development, joint defence production, electronic warfare and exchange of Military delegation on regular basis. It was agreed to hold joint military exercises by the Armed Forces of the two countries. The meeting agreed to hold mid-term review meetings on regular basis to ensure speedy implementation of the decisions taken during the meeting. Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff, General Isik KOSANER, thanked the Government and Armed Forces of Pakistan for extending warm welcome and hospitality to him and members of his delegation. He hoped that the meeting would help to further strengthen the defence ties between the two countries. Both sides stressed the need for undertaking joint venture in the area of defence production and sharing expertise to benefit from each other's experience.
