In May of last year, the Turkish consortium received a 45 thousand tons tender for 5 fleet support vessels (FSV) for the Indian navy. But the formal contract was signed days after India released a strong statement denying all references made to Jammu and Kashmir during the visit of President Erdogan to Islamabad last month in a joint declaration by Turkey and Pakistan.

The Turkish consortium received a 45,000-ton tender for 5 fleet support vessels (FSV) for the Indian navy in May of last year. But the formal contract was signed days after India released a strong declaration rejecting all references made to Jammu and Kashmir during President Erdogan's visit to Islamabad last month in a joint statement by Turkey and Pakistan.

The contract was signed by HSL last month after the Ministry of Defense (MoD) issued clearances, said the people were aware of the matter. They said they have met with the Ministry of External Affairs before the decision was made. 

The vigilance department of the defense ministry was asked to review the order and gave a go-ahead, one of the individuals who did not want to be named said.

Turkish shipyards are a major supplier of warships to the Pakistani Navy, and concerns had been raised about how their engineers and workers ' access to the strategic HSL could lead to serious safety issues. HSL is located near the Ship Building Centre, where India's nuclear-armed submarines are constructed, and the headquarters of the Eastern Navy.

The Turkish President visited Pakistan, where he repeatedly addressed the issue of Kashmir, saying that Turkey was on Pakistan's side in the dispute and that it would also assist it in the matter of being censored by the Financial Task Force. India released a strong statement after Erdogan's visit in February, and also made a close demarch with the Turkish envoy on March 3.

Maritime Business World