Turkiye says it will soon initiate discussions with Pakistan about its entry to the Turkish KAAN fighter jet programme. Turkish Deputy Defence Minister Celal Sami Tufekci made the announcement in Karachi last week, during the launch of the fourth and final warship made under the Turkish-Pakistani collaboration programme, MILGEM. Tufekci also said hundreds of Pakistani experts are already working on the research and development of KAAN, which is Turkiye's homegrown fighter jet programme led by Turkish Aerospace. Defence cooperation between the two countries has increased in recent years, with Turkiye having sold aircraft systems to Pakistan, including Baykar's Bayraktar TB2s and Bayraktar Akinci. The two militaries have also carried out several joint drills and combat trainings. In early August, Pakistan's prime minister reiterated his invitation to Turkiye to become the third partner of CPEC - its joint economic corridor project with China. Guests: Hannan Hussain Foreign Affairs Analyst Omer Aslan Associate Professor at Social Sciences University of Ankara
Source: TRTworld.com