Meeting between Gen. Asim Munir and US officials prioritized security and defense

“Both sides agree to continue engagement for exploring potential avenues of bilateral collaboration,” states ISPR.

In meetings with important government and military officials, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir—who is currently on an official visit to the US—discussed issues related to bilateral interests, global and regional security, and ongoing conflicts.

The army chief met with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of Defense General (retd) Lloyd J. Austin, Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, according to a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Friday.

According to a statement released by the military’s media wing, “both sides agreed to continue engagement for exploring potential avenues of bilateral collaboration in pursuit of shared interests.”

The two main areas of cooperation that were identified during the meetings with defense officials were defense cooperation and counterterrorism cooperation.

Both parties reaffirmed their intention to foster greater communication and look into methods to broaden the range of advantageous interactions.

During the meeting, the army chief emphasized how critical it is to comprehend one another’s viewpoints on issues of regional security and developments that impact South Asia’s strategic stability.

In this regard, COAS Munir also emphasized how crucial it is to settle the Kashmir dispute in accordance with international law and pertinent resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The visit of General Asim occurs at a time when Pakistan is dealing with serious security threats from both domestic and foreign terrorist organizations, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan suffering the most from terrorist attacks.

Read More: US Defense Secretary and COAS talk about Regional Security

During the visit, the army chief also interacted with the Pakistani overseas community in a reception hosted by the Embassy of Pakistan. He appreciated the positive role being played by the overseas community towards the country’s progress and development, according to the military’s media wing.

During the interaction, topics of varying dimensions were discussed and COAS appreciated the efforts of the Pakistani diaspora while welcoming and encouraging them to invest through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) which is already yielding success in various dimensions.