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.