RAWALPINDI – General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), visited National Counter Terrorism Center, Pabbi on last day of Pak – Russia Joint Training Exercise Druzhba III.
The exercise focused on counter-terrorism training of the Special Operation Forces of Pakistan and Ground Forces of Russian Federation while exchanging mutual counterterrorism experiences, said a statement issued by the ISPR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XloikXqeSE&feature=youtu.be
COAS appreciated the participating troops for their dedication, skill, and professionalism. He said that this exercise is a great forum to reinforce the existing relationship between the two militaries.
Russian Deputy Head of Mission in Pakistan Valadamir Betezyuk was also present on the occasion.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/russian-troops-arrive-in-pakistan-for-druzhba-iii-military-drills/
Last month, a Russian Army Contingent arrived in Pakistan to participate in Joint Training Excercise ‘Druzhba-III’ depicting a visible sign of rapprochement between Islamabad and Moscow/
The Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations, Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said in a statement that this was the 3rd exercise as part of Pak-Russia bilateral training cooperation.
The 1st exercise was held in Pakistan during 2016, while 2nd in Russia during 2017, he further explained.
Russia and Pakistan have been holding the ‘Friendship’ drills since 2016. In 2017, over 200 servicemen took part in the drills, which were held in the North Caucasus at an altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level.
In a historic agreement inked in August, Pakistani officers from the armed forces were allowed to be trained in Russia. The deal was concluded at the end of the inaugural meeting of Russia-Pakistan Joint Military Consultative Committee in Rawalpindi.
Though Pakistan had opposed the erstwhile USSR in the Afghan war, the states are now coming closer owing to the strategic interests of Moscow and Islamabad’s bid to look for new allies.
