ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir arrived in Iran on Friday on a two-day official visit to discuss defense cooperation, the Pakistani military said.
The army chief will hold meetings with Iranian civilian and military leadership during his first visit to the neighboring country since assuming office in November last year, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the military’s media wing.
“During the visit, COAS will discuss bilateral matters related to defense and security cooperation,” the ISPR said in a statement.
Pakistan and Iran share cordial relations based on religious, linguistic, cultural linkages, and spiritual affiliation. The Middle Eastern nation was the first country to recognize Pakistan after independence, while after the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran, Pakistan was one of the first countries to accept the new dispensation.
This is General Munir’s fifth foreign trip ever since he took command of the Pakistan Army. It comes two months after he officially visited China, aiming to enhance bilateral military relations.
Prior to that, the army chief undertook visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United Kingdom (UK).