Islamabad: In a sign of warming relation,
Russian army chief met with his Pakistani counterpart for
"reviewing and reinventing" defence ties between their
countries.
The visit by Colonel General Alexander Postnikov,
Commander-in-Chief Russian Ground Forces to the General
Headquarters of the Army in Rawalpindi comes just days after
President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to Moscow this month.
A statement released by the military here on Tuesday
said the visiting dignitary discussed the matters of
"professional interest" with army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
However, the Dawn daily reported on Wednesday that the
meeting was a move towards "reviewing and reinventing" defence
ties between their countries.
"The two commanders resolved to expand military
cooperation," the daily reported.
Quoting unnamed defence sources, it said, "that the
two commanders discussed joint training, joint exercises and
Pakistan's defence hardware shopping and refurbishment list."
Earlier, this month, Zardari had undertaken a visit to
Moscow, the first foreign visit since the May 2
raid by US forces that killed bin Laden, raising several
questions on Pakistan's role in harbouring him.
In his interview to local media, Zardari had invited
Russia to use Pakistani territory to fulfil the old dream of
Russian czars to seek access to "southern seas".
According to him, such a move would contribute to
economic prosperity of both countries.
Zardari had said Moscow and Islamabad have so far
failed to use their potential for economic cooperation to the
full and voiced hope that the forthcoming talks with the
Russian leaders would provide a fresh impulse for bilateral
relations.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 22:34