From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The fourth round of joint military talks between the Nigerian and Pakistani armed forces aimed at boosting the bilateral relationship between the two militaries has opened in Abuja.
The five-day meeting, which is taking place at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), is being attended by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, top military officers and their counterparts from the Pakistani armed forces.
In his address at the occasion, Major General Majid Jahangir, head of delegation of the Pakistani armed forces, who described the defence cooperation between the two countries as cordial and brotherly, said the relationship is further bonded by shared values, mutual respect and commonality of interest.
He said: “The similarity of challenges confronting our nations brings the two brotherly nations closer, as both countries enjoy broad based relationships in all domains.”
Gen Jahangir, while noting that the cooperation between the Nigerian and Pakistani armed forces spreads across multiple domains, including training, capacity building, defence collaboration and reciprocal visits, said “Pakistan armed forces recognise, appreciate and respect the professionalism of Nigerian armed forces and are keen to further expand the existing bond. It is, indeed, a matter of great satisfaction that our military cooperation is consistently expanding with every passing year, the forum of joint military Pak-Nigeria Staff Talks is playing a very important role in furthering the same.”
Welcoming the delegation to the Defence Headquarters, the Chief of Defence Staff, represented by the Director, Policy, Major General Usman Yusuf, thanked the government and people of Pakistan for their continuous assistance to the Nigerian armed forces.
He said: “For the next three days, we are going to sit down to discuss issues that concern the advancement and the development of our armed forces, both in regional peace, and I am certain that we are going to have a very fruitful deliberation.”
The meeting is expected to end on Friday.