KARACHI, Nov 8: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Khalid Shameem Wynne on Thursday expressed the country’s stance on regional peace and said that “we are a peace-loving nation and our progress in defence production is aimed at maintaining peace, thus the apt theme ‘weapons for peace’ is evident in all facets of this exhibition”.

He was speaking to visiting delegates of a biannual defence exhibition being held under the aegis of the Defence Export Promotion Organisation (DEPO) and organized by the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS).

The general said that the IDEAS-2012 provided a common ground to all defence production related institutions to interact with each other and learn from each others’ technological prowess, which would enable them to develop technologies for ever-changing security needs, a press release issued here by the Inter-Services Public Relations said.

On the second day of IDEAS-2012, General Wynne met visiting dignitaries and delegations.

The delegates appreciated the well-organised exhibition and congratulated the chairman of the JCSC on the success of IDEAS-2012.

The CJCSC thanked the visiting dignitaries.

Meanwhile, Turkish Defence Industry undersecretary Murad Bayar and Pakistan Defence Production secretary Lieutenant General Shahid Iqbal held a meeting in which they expressed their desire to expand defence industrial collaboration between the two countries to a strategic level.

Turkish defence delegation head Murad Bayar accompanied by his team members met Lt-Gen Shahid Iqbal and discussed the extent of defence industrial cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides expressed their satisfaction with the ongoing collaboration between the two countries in the field of air defence.

In the evening Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad hosted a dinner in honour of the delegates, exhibitors and other participants in the IDEAS-2012.