Pakistan, Saudi Arabia progressing towards comprehensive defence ties: Dastgir

RAWALPINDI: Building on a solid legacy, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are progressing towards a comprehensive defence relationship for the twenty-first century.

This was stated by Minister for Defence Khurram Dastgir Khan while welcoming Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Mohammad bin Abdullah Al-Aysh, who called on him here at the Ministry of Defence.

Secretary Defence Lt. Gen. (Retd) Zamir ul Hassan Shah, Additional Secretary Defence Rear Admiral Faisal Rasool Lodhi and Saudi Ambassador Nawaf Saeed Al-Malki were present during the meeting, said a press release.

The minister expressed good wishes and prayers for health and prosperity of the custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz. He highlighted the extensive Line of Control (LoC) violations India, which have resulted in numerous civilian casualties. He conveyed Pakistan’s expectations to Saudi Arabia for play its diplomatic role to redress the situation.

The Deputy Defence Minister of Saudi Arabia stated that his country was seeking Pakistan’s support for training to Saudi armed forces, especially in the domain of counter-terrorism, asymmetric warfare and mountain fighting. Khurram Dastgir Khan noted that despite enduring Pak-KSA relations, there was no formal strategic cooperation agreement.

He proposed an all-encompassing strategic cooperation agreement to deepen defence ties between the two countries. He highlighted that as part of the strategic cooperation, agreements between national defence universities of both the countries might be formalized in order to expand cooperation in strategic planning.

He sent his felicitations to the Saudi Crown Prince for holding a successful ministerial meeting of Islamic Military Coalition to fight terrorism, and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to safeguard the territorial integrity of the Kingdom and safety of Harmain Shareefain.