TURKEY, PAKISTAN OK DEFENSE COOPERATION

ANKARA [MENL] -- Turkey and Pakistan have agreed to bolster defense
cooperation.
Officials said Turkey and Pakistan intend to pursue defense industrial
cooperation in 2006. They said the cooperation could include joint arms
development and production of attack naval craft, main battle tanks and
personnel carriers.

"This visit is a turning point in our relations in terms of our desire to
raise the level of cooperation between our countries," Pakistani Prime
Minister Shaukat Aziz told a joint news conference with Turkish counterpart
Recep Erdogan on June 1.

In 2004, Pakistan and Turkey conducted $400 million in trade, the lion's
share in the civilian sector. Officials said the two countries want to
increase trade to at least $1 billion a year by 2010.
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