Pakistan and Russia are set to hold their first-ever joint military exercises later this year, media reported on Monday, reflecting increased military cooperation between the two former Cold War rivals.
Around 200 military personnel from the two sides would take part in the joint military exercises, The Express Tribune quoted a senior Pakistani official as saying.
The move comes amidst increasing defence ties between Moscow and Islamabad as the latter was also thinking to buy advanced Russian warplanes.
Pakistan’s ambassador to Moscow Qazi Khalilullah told the newspaper that this is the first time that military personnel from the two countries would be taking part in joint military drills called ‘Friendship-2016’.
He, however, did not divulge further details about the nature of the exercises or dates.
The development, Mr Khalilullah said, reflected increased cooperation between the two countries.
“This obviously indicates a desire on both sides to broaden defence and military-technical cooperation,” he told a Russian news agency.
The joint military drill is seen as another step in growing military-to-military cooperation, indicating a steady growth in bilateral relationship between the two countries, whose ties had been marred by Cold War rivalry for decades.
