Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Lieutenant General (Retd) Muhammad Ali, paid a courtesy call on Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), at the Deputy Minister’s office in Colombo.
Lt. Gen. (Retd) Muhammad Ali arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday (July 1) for an official visit to participate in the sixth Pakistan-Sri Lanka Armed Forces Defence Dialogue, held earlier.
During the meeting, the Deputy Minister welcomed the visiting Pakistani Defence Secretary, and the two officials discussed a range of bilateral defence matters. Their discussions focused on the outcomes of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Armed Forces Defence Dialogue, expanding bilateral defence cooperation, strengthening military-to-military engagement, and enhancing collaboration in areas of shared strategic interest.
The two sides also discussed potential cooperation in Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and disaster management. They underscored the importance of disaster risk reduction through prevention, preparedness, and response, and agreed to continue sharing expertise and best practices through existing mechanisms, including virtual coordination meetings, weather forecast exchanges, and participation in regional disaster management exercises.
Lt. Gen. (Retd) Muhammad Ali thanked the Government of Sri Lanka for its hospitality and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening the longstanding defence partnership between the two countries, founded on mutual understanding, equality, trust, and respect.
The meeting was attended by the Defence Advisor at the High Commission of Pakistan, Col. Muhammad Farooq. (Newswire)