COAS, KSA deputy defence minister hold talks

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa met with Saudi Arabia Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salaman bin Abdulaziz, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Matters of mutual interest including bilateral defence, security cooperation and regional security were discussed," the ISPR statement maintained.

On August 17, General Bajwa held talks with the Saudi military leadership on Monday, which focused on military-to-military ties, including training exchanges.

Accompanied by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, Gen Bajwa arrived in Riyadh on an official visit on Monday.

The ISPR added that he was received by Gen (Staff) Fayiadh bin Ha’med Al-Rowaily, Chief of General Staff, adding that the COAS was presented a guard of honour at the Saudi Ministry of Defence.

“The COAS met His Excellency General (Staff) Fayiadh bin Ha’med Al-Rowaily Chief of General Staff and His Royal Highness Lieutenant General (Staff) Fahad bin Turki Al Saud Commander Joint Forces, KSA. Military to military ties, including training exchanges, were the focus of the meetings,” the ISPR added.

Gen Bajwa’s visit was announced last week during a press conference by the ISPR Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar. “As far as the army chief's visit is concerned, it was pre-planned. It is basically linked to military-to-military relationship. There is no need to go further into it," he told reporters.