Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Thursday met Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and discussed the ways of strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the army chief arrived in the Kingdom in the early hours of Thursday where he was received by Prince Khalid.

At the outset of the meeting, the Saudi defence minister congratulated Gen Munir on his appointment as the army chief.

The SPA said that the two leaders, during the meeting, emphasised the strength and durability of bilateral relations between the two fraternal countries.

They discussed military and defence cooperation, and ways to support and enhance them, along with important regional and international issues of common interest.

Meanwhile, in a tweet today, Prince Salman said he was pleased to meet Pakistan’s army chief.

“We emphasized the strategic partnership between our brotherly countries, reviewed the bilateral military and defence relations, and discussed ways of strengthening our cooperation,” he added.

Earlier, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Gen Munir would be visiting Saudi Arabia and UAE from Jan 4 to Jan 10.

“The COAS will be meeting the senior leadership of both brotherly countries to discuss matters of mutual interest, military-to-military cooperation and bilateral relations focusing on security-related subjects,” the military’s media wing stated.

It is pertinent to mention that this is Gen Munir’s first official visit abroad after his appointment.