Islamabad - As bilateral relations between Pakistan and Russia are growing on positive trajectory, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has lauded Pakistan’s joint military exercise with Russia, saying that joint training is a great forum to reinforce existing relationship between the two militaries.
“Exercise is a great forum to reinforce existing relationship between the two militaries”, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Maj. Gen Asif Ghafoor quoted the Army Chief as saying in his tweet on Monday.
The Army Chief visited National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) Pabbi and witnessed Pak-Russia Joint Training Exercise Druzhba III, which is seen as land mark development in growing military-to-military cooperation between Pakistan and Russian armed forces.
A statement issued by the ISPR said that the COAS appreciated the participating troops for their dedication, skill and professionalism. He said that this exercise is great a forum to reinforce existing relationship between the two militaries.
It said the exercise focused on counter-terrorism training of the Special Operation Forces of Pakistan and Ground Forces of Russian Federation while exchanging mutual counter terrorism experiences.
Russian Deputy Head of Mission in Pakistan Valadamir Betezyuk was also present on the occasion.
In 2017, over 200 servicemen took part in the drills, hosted by Russia at Minralney Vody in the North Caucasus at an altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level. In October 2016, they held their first-ever joint military exercise in Pakistan.
Analysts believed that the exercise is indicating a steady growth in the relationship between the two countries, whose ties had been marred by Cold War rivalry for decades.
Meanwhile in Shanghai, Prime Minister Imran Khan has underscored the need for maximising Pak-Russia cooperation in economic, trade, defence, and energy for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
Talking to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of China International Import Expo in Shanghai on Monday, Prime Minister Khan underlined the importance of increasing economic cooperation with Moscow and invited Russian investments in Pakistan, particularly in energy sector.
Russian Prime Minister congratulated Imran Khan on his election and underlined the importance of further strengthening bilateral relations especially in view of the changing regional dynamics. The two leaders agreed to enhance cooperation on multilateral forums, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction on the upward trajectory of the bilateral relations.
They also exchanged views on regional issues including situation in South Asia and Afghanistan.