ISLAMABAD: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Sunday awarded Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa with ‘King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class’ in recognition of his distinguished efforts in consolidating and strengthening bonds of friendship, joint cooperation and developing Pakistan-Saudi relations, according to ISPR and Saudi official news agency, SPA.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on an official tour.
During the visit, the COAS called on Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of KSA and General Fayyadh Bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Saudi Armed Forces at Jeddah, Sunday.
During the meetings, it added that matters of mutual interests, bilateral defence and security cooperation, and regional peace and stability were discussed.
“Pakistan values its historical and brotherly relations with the Kingdom and acknowledges its unique place in the Islamic world,” the army chief was quoted by the ISPR as having said on the occasion.
It further stated that both sides agreed upon enhancing defence cooperation in the fields of joint training, air defence, counter-terrorism and communication, as well as, information domain.
Army Chief Gen Bajwa, Saudi Crown Prince review military cooperation
“They also agreed to further enhance cordial relations and deep spirit of brotherhood into enduring strategic partnership, being vital players in the region with significant responsibility towards unity of Muslim Ummah,” it added.
According to the statement, the COAS was conferred upon King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellence for making significant contributions in defence cooperation between both the countries.
The Saudi SPA reported that Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Sunday, received the Commander of the Pakistani Army, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, currently on a visit to the Kingdom.
The meeting reviewed bilateral relations, especially in the military fields, and opportunities for developing them, in addition to a number of issues of common interest.
“In implementation of the order of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince decorated the Commander of the Pakistani Army with King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class in recognition of his distinguished efforts in consolidating and strengthening bonds of friendship and joint cooperation and developing Saudi-Pakistani relations,” it added.
The occasion was attended by Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defence; Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General Fayyad Al-Ruwaili and a number of senior officials from the two sides.
Following his trip to China on June 12, 2022, this is Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s second important visit aboard this month, as Pakistan is need of economic assistance from the friendly countries to strengthen its foreign exchange reserve.
The COAS has also reportedly visited the ailing former president and army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf (retd) in Dubai.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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