Bajwa-Gerasimov agree to cooperate on military-technical aspects

RAWALPINDI: Chief of army staff (COAS) general Qamar Javed Bajwa, on second day of his visit in Russia, met with Russian chief of general staff general Valery Vasilevich Gerasimov, at Russian defence ministry in Moscow on Wednesday.

According to an inter services public relations (ISPR) statement, matters related to regional security, stability and bilateral security cooperation were discussed.

Grasimov appreciated Pakistan’s achievements in war against terror. He said that Russia supports Pakistan’s efforts towards reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan and is willing to play a role towards that end.

Bajwa responded that Pakistan welcomes any initiative which can bring peace and stability in Afghanistan and held that the whole region will benefit from it. He said that Pakistan wants to get out of the zero-sum dynamics of cold war era that is still prevalent in south Asia.

“We have no hostile designs towards any country and will keep on working towards a cooperative regional framework based on sovereign equality and mutual progress through connectivity,” Bajwa said.

According to a Russian statement, Gerasimov and Bajwa discussed regional security issues and agreed on the development of contacts in the defence area.

The parties exchanged their views on regional security issues, the condition and prospects of bilateral cooperation in the military and military-technical fields. They also confirmed readiness for developing dialogue and contacts in the defence filed.

Gerasimov invited the Pakistani representatives to take part in the international army games 2018 (July 28 - August 11) and in the army 2018 international military technical forum (August 21-26).