https://arab.news/nb35f
- Head of Iranian navy calls on Pakistani air chief, discusses regional security and defense ties
- On June 17-18, Pakistan and Iran held 12th round of bilateral political consultations in Tehran
ISLAMABAD: Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, top commander of the Iranian Navy, on Monday called on Pakistani Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, and discussed regional security and military-to-military ties.
The Iranian official's visit comes on the heels of the 12th round of two-day Pakistan-Iran Bilateral Political Consultations held in Tehran, with Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan leading the Pakistani delegation and Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Ali Bagheri Kani, heading the Iranian side.
“During the meeting, Chief of Air Staff highlighted that the advancement in space, electronic warfare, cyber and niche technologies coupled with artificial intelligence had profoundly affected the traditional environment of national security,” Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said in a statement.
“He briefed the visiting dignitary about various ongoing projects being carried out by Pakistan Air Force with special focus on modernization and development of indigenous capabilities.”
The Iranian official commended the “professionalism of PAF personnel and the exceptional progress made by Pakistan Air Force on its path to modernization.”
“He also appreciated Pakistan’s continuous efforts for regional stability and pledged to play his role for further improvement in military-to-military ties especially in the domains of operations, training and aviation industry,” PAF said.
At the Pak-Iran bilateral meeting on June 17-18, both sides agreed to enhance trade and bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including energy and transport.
Pakistan's foreign office said in a statement the two countries held discussions covering "the entire range of bilateral relations" and reviewed the status of implementation of decisions taken at the last meeting.
"It was agreed to enhance and diversify bilateral trade and expand cooperation in energy, transport connectivity, education and people-to-people exchanges. The two sides had a comprehensive exchange of views on the regional situation," said the statement.
"Both sides underscored the significance of regular convening of various institutional mechanisms, including Joint Economic Commission (JEC) and Joint Trade Committee (JTC) to forge closer cooperation in areas of mutual interest."