WASHINGTON: Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir recently engaged with US Central Command (Centcom) chief General Michael Erik Kurilla, emphasizing the criticality of bolstering training collaborations between both sides, as communicated by the military’s media division.
The Inter-Services Public Relations conveyed that their meeting at Headquarters Central Command in Tampa Bay, Florida, delved into various shared interests, especially focusing on regional security cooperation.
Joint training opportunities were thoroughly explored, reaffirming the imperative to elevate the training interactions between CENTCOM and Pakistan Army.
During the visit, COAS Munir also toured the CENTCOM Joint Operations Center, marking his inaugural trip to the US. Alongside this visit, he met with several US government and military officials, including Antony Blinken, General Llyod J Austin (retd), Victoria Nuland, Jonathan Finer, and General Charles Q Brown.
Earlier statements from the State Department underscored Pakistan’s significant status as a major non-NATO ally of the United States.
The US expressed its eagerness to collaborate with Pakistan on regional security and defense cooperation, highlighting the essence of recent discussions.
Earlier, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir met UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York on Friday to articulate Pakistan’s concerns regarding the situations in Indian-held Kashmir and Afghanistan.
Expressing particular unease over the Indian Supreme Court’s approval of the merger of occupied Kashmir, Pakistan urged the UN to uphold its commitment to facilitating a plebiscite for Kashmiris to determine their future.
Additionally, Pakistan voiced alarm over an upswing in militant attacks, seeking international support to quell what it termed “cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan.”
Following discussions with top US officials in Washington, Gen Munir arrived in New York before proceeding to Tampa, Florida, for talks with General Michael E. Kurilla, the commander of the US Central Command.
An Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement highlighted Gen Munir’s engagements with key US figures, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense General Lloyd J. Austin, Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer, and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown.
The talks covered bilateral interests, global and regional security concerns, and ongoing conflicts, with a mutual commitment to sustained engagement and exploration of collaborative avenues.
