General Raheel Sharif conferred King Abdulaziz Order of Excellence Award

Islamabad, February 05, 2014 (PPI-OT): General Raheel Sharif, Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan was warmly received by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister in Riyadh today. The Crown Prince expressed warm sentiments about Pakistan and said that the Kingdom has a special relationship with Pakistan. The two sides expressed satisfaction at the status of bilateral cooperation in the field of defence.

In a reflection of the warmth existing between the two countries, the Crown Prince conferred King Abdulaziz Order of Excellence on General Raheel Sharif. The visit is the first ever abroad by General Raheel Sharif as Pakistan’s Army Chief to any country and indicates the importance Pakistan’s defence forces attach to relations with the Kingdom.

On the first day of his visit to Riyadh, General Raheel Sharif had a busy schedule. He held meetings with General Hussain bin Abdullah Al Qubayal, Chief of General Staff, Saudi Armed Forces and Lieutenant General Eid bin Awad Al Shalawi, Commander Royal Saudi Land Forces in Riyadh. In these meetings, the two sides reviewed status of bilateral cooperation and agreed to further strengthen defence cooperation.

General Raheel Sharif also visited the Ministry of Interior and held a meeting with General Abdul Rahman Al-Rubaian, Deputy Minister of Interior. General Raheel Sharif was briefed on the counter-terrorism performance of the Ministry.

He expressed appreciation of the functioning of the Prince Mohammed bin Nayef Centre for Counselling and Care for rehabilitation of militants. He said that the two countries enjoy close cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism.

Earlier, General Raheel Sharif was accorded high protocol on his arrival in the Kingdom yesterday. He was received by His Royal Highness General Fahd bin Turki, Deputy Commander, Royal Saudi Land Forces at the airport. General Raheel Sharif will continue his engagements in Riyadh tomorrow.

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