YAMOUSSOUKRO: The Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Friday visited the Pakistan Army contingent serving under the United Nations flag in the African nation of Ivory Coast, said Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Asim Bajwa in a series of tweets.

General Raheel Sharif spent the day with the Pakistani army troops, and commended the officers and the men for their professionalism, commitment to their duty and the vital role played for bringing peace and stability while on a UN peacekeeping mission.

The chief of army staff also paid tributes to the sacrifices rendered by the troops while on peacekeeping missions.

"Pakistan is committed to meet emerging challenges of peacekeeping operations and continues to hold the UN and Pakistani flag high," said General Raheel Sharif on the occasion.

Read: General Raheel Sharif decorated with Brazil's 'Order of Merit'

He also said on the occasion that Pakistan is proud of its historic and current role of being a major contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping missions.

Pakistan is one of the leading contributor of troops to UN missions. Pakistan Army troops are currently deployed on six UN peacekeeping missions across the globe, said the chief of the military's media wing in his tweet.

It is pertinent to mention that the Pakistan Army forces under the UN flag are also deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Burundi and Sudan. The total number of Pakistani troops deployed on UN peacekeeping forces number more than 10,000.

Earlier in the week, General Raheel Sharif was awarded Brazil's coveted 'Order of Merit' award in a ceremony held in the South American country.

General Raheel Sharif is the first Asian to have received the award.

General Raheel Sharif also met the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Brazil Gen José Carlos de Nardi, during his visit to Brazil, who hailed the Pakistan Army's professionalism and operational achievements especially in ongoing counter-terrorism operations.

Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif arrived in Brazil after a five-day visit to Washington during which he met US Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter and other senior officials.

From Brazil, he was scheduled to go to the Ivory Coast to spend a day with Pakistani troops who were serving there as part of the UN peace keeping force.

His meetings in the US focused on Pak-US relations, military to military ties, regional security and on the situation in Afghanistan, Lt Gen Bajwa said earlier.