ISLAMABAD: Dr. Samir bin Abdul Aziz Al-Tabib, chief executive of the Saudi Ministry of Defense Development Program, met Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday to discuss ways to enhance bilateral defense and security cooperation, the military’s media wing said.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s armed forces enjoy strong relations with one another, with many Saudi officers having graduated from Pakistan’s military, air force and naval academies. The two countries also enjoy deep-rooted brotherly ties, with over 2.5 million Pakistani expats living in the kingdom.
In October 2021, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s naval forces conducted the joint Naseem Al-Bahr 13 exercise in the Arabian Sea near Karachi. The Saudi F-15 aircraft participated in a missile-firing drill for the first time during that exercise.
Al-Tabib and Pakistan’s army chief met in Rawalpindi to discuss regional issues, apart from defense and security cooperation, the ISPR said.
“During the meeting [between Al-Tabib and Gen Bajwa], matters of mutual interest, bilateral defense & security cooperation and regional peace & stability came under discussion,” ISPR stated.
Pakistan values its historical and brotherly relations with the kingdom, Gen Bajwa said, adding that the South Asian country also acknowledges Riyadh’s unique place in the Islamic world.
“The visiting dignitary acknowledged the defense potential of Pakistan and expressed the desire to enhance collaboration in defesce and security sectors,” the statement read.
The Saudi official also expressed his grief over the devastation caused by the ongoing floods in Pakistan.
“COAS [Chief of Army Staff] thanked the visiting guests for his efforts to strengthen bonds between the two brotherly countries,” the ISPR statement said.
Pakistan has been seeking to explore non-conventional areas of bilateral cooperation with Saudi Arabia, with a particular focus on promoting economic, trade and investment ties, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who visited the Kingdom in April, told Arab News at the time.