RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Military Advisor to Secretary General United Nation (UN) Birame Diop (Senegal) during an official visit to United States (US).
During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, overall regional security situation including natural disaster caused by flood across the country came under discussion, said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release received here.
The Army Chief appreciated the role of the office of UN Military Advisor in promoting UN core values and their response during crises.
The UN Military Advisor expressed his grief over the devastation caused by ongoing floods in Pakistan due to climate change and offered sincere condolence to the families of the victims. He assured full support to the flood victims.
The UN dignitary acknowledged Pakistan’s contribution in UN peacekeeping Missions and extraordinary achievements in counter terrorism, the ISPR added.
The Express Tribune on Saturday reported, quoting its sources that Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa is in the United States on a five-day trip in yet another sign of stepped up efforts by both the sides to improve their fraught and difficult relations.
It said that Gen Bajwa was accompanied by a high-powered delegation.
The army chief is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with the US officials including a visit to the Pentagon and Langley, the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
His visit is being closely followed as some have linked it with the expected change of command in November in the army. There are speculations that his visit may mean that the government may extend his already extended tenure.
But sources in Washington are playing down such speculations and insisted the visit has nothing to do with the Pakistani domestic situation.
They say the visit was long overdue. The visit was postponed thrice because of different reasons. General Bajwa was to travel to Washington in early 2022 but because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine the trip was put on hold.
The visit was rescheduled to take place in March-April but because of the change of government, the trip was called off once again. The two sides could not arrange a trip in August either. Finally, he has now travelled to the US at the invitation of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The visit reflects the renewed push by the two countries to reset their troubled relations.
