Pakistan, S Arabia agree to boost defence cooperation

RAWALPINDI: Saudi Arabian ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliky called on Secretary Defence Lt Gen (Retd) Mian Muhammad Hilal Hussain Friday and expressed desire to further diversify defence cooperation by enhancing technology transfer in defence production. Secretary Defence welcomed the dignitary and conveyed that Pakistan attaches great value to its relations with Saudi Arabia. The scope and scale of defence cooperation between the two countries is exemplary and all efforts are in hand to further level of cooperation, he said. Both sides agreed to further strengthen bilateral defence collaboration. Saudi ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliky expressed appreciation for the military training offered by Pakistan Armed Forces establishments, and the standard being maintained therein. Secretary Defence apprised the ambassador about the opportunities for regional economic cooperation being offered by CPEC projects. The ambassador highlighted Saudi interests in PoL sector investment and expressed hope to see tangible progress in near future.