MOSCOW – The Russian-Pakistani military drills “Friendship 2018” will beheld in the mountains of Pakistan from October 21 to November 4, a Russianpress official said Tuesday.
According to Vadim Astafyev, head of the press service of the RussianSouthern Military District, the joint drills will be held at the trainingrange in Pakistan’s northwestern town of Pabbi.
More than 70 mountain shooters from Karachay-Cherkessia will take part inthe drills.
The servicemen from the two countries’ armed forces will perform tasks atan altitude of 1,400 meters above sea level, Astafyev said.
Russia and Pakistan have been holding the ‘Friendship’ drills since 2016.In 2017, over 200 servicemen took part in the drills, which were held inthe North Caucasus at an altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level.
In August, Pakistan and Russia reached a historic agreement allowingofficers from the country’s armed forces to train in Russia.
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The deal was concluded at the end of the inaugural meeting ofRussia-Pakistan Joint Military Consultative Committee in Rawalpindi,reported *VOA*, citing a statement from the defence ministry.
The talks between the two countries were headed by Defence SecretaryZamirul Hassan Shah and visiting Russian Deputy Defense Minister Col GenAlexander Fomin.
“The two sides also held in-depth discussions on avenues of futurecooperation. In the end, both countries signed the Contract on Admission ofService Members of Pakistan in the RF [Russian
Pakistan and Russia have stepped up cooperation in the defence sector since2014 when the two nations signed an agreement for boosting bilateralties.Federation’s] Training Institutes,” said the ministry statement. -APP/Xinhua
