Türkiye's TCG Kinaliada corvette visits Philippines as part of diplomatic tour

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye's TCG Kinaliada corvette, the fourth ship of the Turkish Navy's Ada class, visited the Philippines on Thursday, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry.

The Kinaliada arrived at the port of Manila in the capital and was received by Niyazi Evren Akyol, Turkish ambassador to the Philippines, Chief of Naval Forces Operations, Mehmet Baybars Kucukatay and Philippine Navy officials.

Akyol and Kinaliada personnel paid a visit to Philippine Navy Commander Renato David and attended a reception hosted by the Philippine Navy.

The two-day visit is part of the corvette's Asia tour and in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and the Philippines.

The corvette voyaged to Japan in April to mark the 100th anniversary of Turkish-Japanese diplomatic relations and the 134th anniversary of the date the Ottoman frigate Ertugrul set sail for Japan.

On July 14, 1889, the Ertugrul Frigate embarked on its final voyage -- a goodwill voyage to Japan. On Sept. 19, 1890, it encountered a typhoon off Japan and sank, resulting in the loss of more than 500 sailors and officers; 69 survived. The tragedy is marked as a landmark of the friendship between Türkiye and Japan.