ISLAMABAD, 29 Sep - RIA Novosti. Russia and Pakistan have confirmed their readiness to further strengthen cooperation in the military field, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said following a meeting of the Russian-Pakistani military advisory committee on defense and security issues held in Islamabad on Wednesday.
"A wide range of issues related to the military-political situation in Afghanistan were discussed in an in-depth and constructive manner," Fomin said after the meeting, noting that "the need to deepen our cooperation is due, among other things, to the rapid development of the situation in this country."
The Russian Deputy Defense Minister stressed that the issue related to the situation in Afghanistan is one of the most important on the political agenda, and therefore the development of constructive relations between Russia and Pakistan is an important factor in ensuring regional stability.
"During the negotiations, a positive assessment was given to the dynamically developing mutually beneficial relations in the military field and the desire to use the accumulated potential to strengthen military cooperation as effectively as possible was confirmed," he said.
The Deputy Minister stressed that the vectors of development of relations between Moscow and Islamabad in the military field are set by regular political dialogue and constructive interaction both in a bilateral format and within the framework of international organizations, including the UN and the SCO.
"The progressive development of relations between our states and military departments is an important factor in ensuring regional stability," Fomin said.
He drew attention to the fact that Pakistan is one of the few States with which this year, despite the serious epidemic situation around the world, joint activities that were planned continued to be actively carried out.
Fomin expressed gratitude for the traditionally high Pakistani representation in the events organized by the military Department of the Russian Federation in 2021. According to him, the bilateral meetings held in recent years have contributed to increasing contacts between the armed forces of Russia and Pakistan in such areas as joint exercises of the ground forces and naval forces, as well as strengthening ties between the general staffs.
