The Saudi Assistant Minister of Defense, Engineer Talal bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi, has recently paid an official visit to Pakistan, where he met with several Pakistani officials.

During his trip, the Assistant Minister met with Lieutenant General Asim Munir, the Commander of the Pakistani Army, Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad, the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Pakistan, and Lieutenant General Muhammad Avais Dastgir, the Chief of Staff of the Pakistani Army.

The discussions between the two sides focused on various aspects of bilateral relations, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Additionally, the Saudi-Pakistani Committee met to discuss cooperation in the defense field, including the transfer and localization of technology, defense research and development, and other areas of mutual interest. These discussions were in line with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have increased their defense consultations and Al-Otaibi’s visit will follow up on these talks.

The two countries have held four rounds of defense consultations in less than a month, Arab News reported.

On March 20, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, received Pakistan’s Army Commander Asim Munir.

Days later, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman paid an official visit to Pakistan.

Prince Khalid held talks with Pakistani officials, including the Army Commander. They tackled the strong relations between their countries and their strategic defense partnership and opportunities to develop it.

The third round of the defense talks took place last week when Prince Faisal met with Munir in Islamabad. They discussed the security and strategic cooperation between their countries and means to boost it in several fields.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan enjoy close military ties. They regularly carry out joint defense projects and have held defense maneuvers and drills. (SPA; Arab News; Photo © Pakistan's Ministry of Defense)