Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed on Friday to strengthen defense cooperation, according to a statement published by the military’s public affairs branch.
According to a statement released by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Saudi Assistant Defence Minister Talal Bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi met with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
“Matters of mutual interest and steps to further improve bilateral defence partnership, such as defense production and military training, were discussed at the discussion. COAS reaffirmed Pakistan Army’s ongoing assistance for the capacity enhancement of the Royal Saudi Land Forces,” it stated.
“The visiting dignitary acknowledged Pakistan Army’s achievements and sacrifices in war against terrorism and army’s valuable contributions towards regional peace and stability,” a statement from the ISPR stated.
It said that the Saudi Arabia minister attended the sixth meeting of the Pakistan-KSA Defence Collaboration at GHQ, which he co-chaired with the chief of general staff.
“The event explored global and regional security concerns, as well as the consequences for military forces. The Forum emphasized that fast advances in modern technology demanded defense industry collaboration in crucial capacities between the two fraternal countries,” the ISPR stated.
“Both parties restated their commitment to strengthening defense collaboration through a tailored strategy aimed at particular capabilities in the land, air, and sea domains. In this sense, the forum considered concrete recommendations to achieve practical goals within precise time frames,” it stated.
The development comes only days after a high-level Saudi team, led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, visited Pakistan.
According to the Saudi foreign minister, his visit to Pakistan will provide “significant benefits” in the coming months by unlocking the potential of latent economic development.
The delegation’s visit came after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Makkah, where they agreed to accelerate the first tranche of a $5 billion Saudi investment package for Pakistan.
Maria Ghanchi