According to the statement released by the Nigeria Defence Headquarters on Tuesday, Nigeria-Pakistan have agreed to further enhance their long existing bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in the area of defence.
This was made known by the Pakistan Director General Foreign Military Cooperation, Major General Muhammad Shafiq when he led the Pakistan Delegation to the Second Round of Nigeria-Pakistan Staff Talk at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.
In the meeting the Pakistan head of delegation, General Shafiq stated further that the Staff Talk would afford both countries opportunity to understand their war capabilities and systems, adding that the two countries have developed wide-ranging Defence cooperation which has continued to grow from strength to strength especially, in the area of military training, joint exercises, intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism, as well as defence industrial collaboration.
Welcoming the Pakistani delegation, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin who was represented by the Director General, Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Major General Bamidele Olaleke Ogunkale expressed the need to sustain the momentum of the successes of the First Staff Talk which he described as been highly beneficial to the Armed Forces Nigeria. He was optimistic that the Second Round of the Staff Talk would assist Nigeria in its strategies to maintain peace and security within the country, especially in the troubled North East, and as well improve the cordial relationship between the two countries.
Maj Gen Ogunkale said: “This Round of Staff Talk would include a Presentation on Counter-Terrorism and Insurgency: Nigeria Perspective, to be presented by the Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Major General LEO Irabor and other services of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
The DG DICON also quoted Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan who said: “Our object should be peace within, and peace without. We want to live peacefully and maintain cordial friendly relations with our immediate neighbours and with the world at large”.
It would be recalled that Nigeria and Pakistan signed a Bilateral Agreement on Military Cooperation in 2010 which paved way for the establishment of the First Round of the Nigeria-Pakistan Staff Talk held at the Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ) in Chaklala, Islamabad Pakistan in November 2016