Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Major General Nayyar Naseer (Retd), paid a courtesy call on Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) at the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday to discuss expanding bilateral defence cooperation.
The Defence Secretary welcomed the High Commissioner and extended his best wishes at the start of his diplomatic tenure in Colombo, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Discussions centred on strengthening longstanding ties between the two countries, particularly in defence cooperation, training and regional security.
“Both parties exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing collaboration between the two nations,” the Ministry said. The meeting was also attended by Deputy High Commissioner Zunaira Latif and Pakistan’s Defence Attaché.
The talks follow Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s Shake Hands II / Tarbela counter-terrorism exercise earlier this year and come at a moment when Islamabad has been the host venue for ongoing United States–Iran diplomacy. The Defence Ministry did not disclose specific training programmes or platforms under discussion.
