RAWALPINDI - Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been awarded the King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class, an order of merit named after Saudi Arabia’s founder, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Sunday.
According to the ISPR, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz conferred the medal upon General Qamar Javed Bajwa in recognition of his significant contributions to defence cooperation between the two countries.
The Army Chief visited Saudi Arabia on an official tour, during which he called on Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of KSA and General Fayyadh Bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Saudi Armed Forces at Jeddah.
During the meetings, matters of mutual interests, bilateral defence and security cooperation and regional peace and stability were discussed.
On the occasion, the Army Chief said that Pakistan values its historical and brotherly relations with the Kingdom and acknowledges its unique place in the Islamic world.
Both the sides agreed upon enhancing defence cooperation in the fields of joint training, air defence, counter-terrorism and communication / information domain. They also agreed to further enhance cordial relations and deep spirit of brotherhood into enduring strategic partnership, being vital players in the region with significant responsibility towards unity of Muslim Ummah.
As per Saudi Press Agency, the meeting was attended by Saudi Deputy Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General Fayyad Al-Ruwaili and a number of senior officials both from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended felicitation to Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on the conferment of the Saudi award.
On his Twitter handle, the prime minister said that it was a great honour for the people and the Armed Forces of Pakistan.
He said that Pakistan and its people considered KSA’s security as their own and resolved to further cementing of multifaceted bilateral ties between the two countries.