Iran Eager for Close Military Ties with Pakistan, Joint Drills
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani voiced Tehran’s willingness to promote military cooperation with Islamabad, stressing the need for joint efforts to ensure security of the common border.
In a meeting with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Tehran on Monday, President Rouhani hailed the age-old military and defense cooperation between Iran and Pakistan, calling for closer interaction through joint training courses, joint war games, and the exchange of experiences.
He also stressed the need for efforts to counter terrorist activities along the borders and keep them secure.
For his part, the visiting general described as deep and brotherly the relations between the two Muslim neighbors, saying the Pakistani nation praises Iran for its courage to stand against the big powers.
The four-star general also voiced his country’s interest in strong ties with Iran in all fields, including military cooperation.
The top Pakistani commander arrived in Tehran on Sunday evening for an official visit, and was received by Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri in a formal ceremony on Monday morning.
Islamabad has pledged efforts to dispatch Army troops to the joint border with Iran after a surge in the number of terrorist attacks on the Iranian border guards and security forces masterminded from inside Pakistan.
In one of the deadliest such attacks in April, armed militants killed 10 Iranian border guards who were patrolling along the border in Iran’s Mirjaveh region.
The so-called Jaish al-Adl terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.
