Gen Bajwa awarded King Abdulaziz Medal

RAWALPINDI: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has been awarded the King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class, an order of merit named after Saudi Arabia's founder, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Sunday.

A statement issued by ISPR stated that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz conferred the medal upon COAS General Bajwa in recognition of his significant contributions to defence cooperation between the two countries.

The army cooperation between the two countries. The army chief is currently on a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he called on Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of KSA and General Fayyadh Bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Saudi Armed Forces at Jeddah.

He has been decorated for making significant contributions in defence cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. During the meetings, matters of mutual interests, bilateral defence and security cooperation and regional peace and stability were discussed.

The COAS said that Pakistan values its historical and brotherly relations with the Kingdom and acknowledges its unique place in the Islamic world. Both the sides agreed on enhancing defence cooperation in the fields of joint training, air defence, counter-terrorism and communication and information domains. They also agreed to further enhance cordial relations and deep spirit of brotherhood into enduring strategic partnership, being vital players in the region with significant responsibility towards unity of Muslim Ummah.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on conferment of King Abdulaziz Medal for strengthening Pak-Saudi defence ties. "Heartiest congratulations to Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on conferment of King Abdulaziz Medal for strengthening defence ties between two brotherly countries," the prime minister on his twitter said. The prime minister maintained that Pakistan considers security of Saudi Arabia as its own and expressed complete resolve to further cementing multifaceted bilateral relationship including defence cooperation.