ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and Lebanon held inaugural session of military StaffTalks earlier this month in Beirut, Capital of Lebanon.
Pakistan side was headed by Director General Joint Staff HeadquartersLieutenant General Malik Zafar Iqbal, while Lebanese side was led by DeputyChief of Staff (Planning) Brig. General Joseph Sarkis, said a messagereceived here from Beirut Thursday.
Pakistan delegation congratulated Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on thesuccessful conduct of Operation Fajr al Jaroud to evict terrorist groupsfrom Lebanon’s north-eastern town of Arsal.
It apprised the Lebanese side of the counter-terrorists actions carried outby Pakistani defence forces and law enforcement agencies as well as theunparalleled sacrifices rendered by the country in this fight.
As both the countries were victims of terrorism, the two delegations agreedto benefit from each other’s experiences in this respect.The two sides discussed various dimensions of the ongoing cooperation anddeliberated upon ways and means to expand and deepen bilateral ties.
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Lebanese side thanked Pakistan for extending generous training facilitiesto LAF personnel.Acknowledging the similarity of challenges to the two countries emanatingfrom their respective geostrategic locations and regional dynamics, thesides agreed to institutionalize bilateral Staff Talks and militaryexchanges. They agreed to hold the next session of the Staff Talks inIslamabad.
Earlier, Pakistan delegation was received by the LAF Commander, GeneralJoseph Aoun. The head of Pakistan delegation extended an invitation toGeneral Aoun for attending the IDEAS-2018 exhibition to be held in Karachifrom November 27-30. The delegation also visited Lebanese Air and NavalHeadquarters and received extensive briefings. They also visited Lebanesemilitary training and research institutions and held useful discussions oncooperation for mutual benefit. – APP
