Federal Minister for Defence Khurram Dastgir Khan has said that Pakistan attaches great importance to its bilateral ties with Republic of Italy and it will further enhance mutual ties in different fields.
The minister expressed these views while talking to Ambassador of Italy Stefano Pontecorvo who called on him is his office at Ministry of Defence here on Thursday. Khurram Dastagir also mentioned that exchange military training could be mutually beneficial, as being part of NATO, Italian armed forces have valuable military exposure while Pakistan’s armed forces, who were fighting the war on terror, have rich experience in counter terrorism operations.
The minister conveyed gratitude for facilitating provision of military equipment to Pakistan Air Force. He further emphasised on the need to explore areas of cooperation in the field of joint defence production. He reiterated Pakistan’s desire for peaceful and stable Afghanistan through Afghan owned and Afghan-led process.
During the meeting latest security situation along Pak-Afghan Border and Pakistan’s commitment to peace and stability in the region came under discussion. The defence minister stated that Pakistan was fully committed to eradicate extremism through National Action Plan (NAP), operation Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad.