ISLAMABAD     - President Arif Alvi on Mon­day conferred Nishan-e-Im­tiaz (Military) upon Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Reza bin Mohd Sany, Chief of the Royal Malay­sian Navy in recognition of his illustrious services to promote bilateral relations between the navies of Pakistan and Ma­laysia, in a special investiture ceremony held here at the Ai­wan-e-Sadr. Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Reza, who earned a mas­ter’s degree of science in De­fence and Strategic Studies from the National Defence Uni­versity, Islamabad, was con­ferred the award for his prom­inent role in promoting and strengthening defence rela­tions between both brotherly countries, particularly in the naval and maritime domain and for being a sincere and close friend of Pakistan. Later, the President while talking to Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Reza bin Mohd Sany, who called on him after the investiture ceremo­ny, said that Pakistan greatly valued its mutually rewarding brotherly bilateral relations with Malaysia in all sectors, in­cluding defence and urged to further deepen the existing co­operation in defence sector, a press release issued here by the President’s Media Wing said. He emphasized the need for further strengthening the ties between the navies of the two countries to ensure the safety and security of maritime trade and protect the interests of the two countries in their respective naval jurisdictions. The President appreciated the participation of the Malaysian Navy in the naval exercises or­ganized by Pakistan and invit­ed Malaysian maritime-related industry to participate in Paki­stan Maritime Expo and Con­ference, 2023 (PIMEC-23). He said that Pakistan looked for­ward to continued Malaysian support for its bid to become a full dialogue partner in the As­sociation of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to develop and promote mutually benefi­cial relations with ASEAN.