ISLAMABAD: The second round of four-day – February 13 to 16 – Pakistan-US mid-level defence dialogue will begin today (Monday) in Washington DC.
“Pakistan’s inter-agency delegation, led by the Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Muhammad Saeed, will comprise of senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Joint Staff Headquarters and three Services Headquarters. The US multi-agency team will be represented by the Office of Undersecretary of Defence,” Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday.
It said that issues of bilateral defence and security cooperation will be discussed during the defence dialogue.
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The first round of the dialogue was held in Pakistan in January 2021. On the occasion, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had said that the US relationships with the Pakistani military would provide openings for both the country to cooperate on key issues.
Austin, who retired from the military four years ago after serving for more than 40 years, told the committee that the Biden administration believes that “continuing to build relationships with Pakistan’s military will provide openings for the United States and Pakistan to cooperate on key issues”.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023