ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan and Russia on Tuesday vowed to deepen defence and security cooperation at the high-level talks held in Rawalpindi during the fifth Pak-Russia Joint Military Consu­ltative Committee meeting.

Led by Pakistan’s Defence Secretary retired Lt Gen Muhammad Ali, and Russia’s Deputy Minister for Defence Colonel General Alex­ander V. Fomin, the delegations assessed the current state of bilateral defence cooperation and reviewed avenues for expanded collaboration in areas such as training, exchanges, and defence technology.

“Both sides showed satisfaction on various areas of common interest in strategic and defense matters,” Pakistan’s defence ministry said in a statement, noting that discussions took place in a “most cordial and congenial environment”.

The Russian defence ministry, meanwhile, described the dialogue as “constructive” and indicated that both sides addressed a “wide array of issues, related to the military-political situation in the region”. It further said that “an Inter­dep­artmental Coopera­tion Plan for 2025 was agreed upon at the expert level”.

Colonel General Fomin also met Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf and discussed the strengthening of maritime security and exploring opportunities for bilateral exercises, training, and exchange visits.

The Russian minister also met Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu at the Air Head­quarters.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2024