Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop, Minister of National Defence of Turkey Hulusi Akar, Chief of Turkish General Staff General Yaşar Guler, Commander of Turkish Naval Forces Admiral Adnan Ozbal, and other dignitaries attended the ceremony, that also included the launching of the first Turkish Navy Istanbul Class frigate.

 
While addressing the event, President Erdogan said Pakistan was a brotherly country with whom Turkey enjoyed excellent relations.He underscored that the defence collaboration for the construction of MILGEM class warships was another milestone in Turkey-Pakistan defence ties.President Erdogan added that both Pakistan and Turkey were living in difficult geographies and both countries were facing similar challenges. He highlighted that Turkey would continue to support friendly and allied countries in the defence field.  
 
While referring to his last year’s Pakistan visit, President Erdogan said the two countries signed a Strategic Economic Framework that would provide the necessary institutional framework to further enhance bilateral ties. All Turkish dignitaries who spoke at the ceremony hailed exemplary Pakistan-Turkey brotherly relations. They also reiterated Turkey’s support to Pakistan on the core issues of its national interest.In July 2018, the Pakistan Navy signed a contract for the acquisition of four MILGEM-class ships with Turkey's state-owned defence firm ASFAT. MILGEM vessels are 99 metres long, have a displacement capacity of 24,00 tonnes and a speed of 29 nautical miles.

MILGEM anti-submarine combat frigates, which can be hidden from the radar, will further enhance the defence capability of the Pakistan Navy.The keel-laying ceremony of the first MILGEM Ada class corvettes was held in Istanbul on June 4, 2020, whereas the ground-breaking of the second warship was also performed last year, in October, at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works.