ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday agreed to enhance and strengthen the scope of their existing bilateral defense ties, with a renewed focus on naval cooperation and regional maritime security, said an official statement.

The announcement came during a meeting between Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf and Chief of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) Vice Admiral Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Ghuraybi at Pakistan Navy Headquarters in Islamabad.

The two sides reaffirmed their longstanding defense partnership, particularly between their navies, which have conducted regular joint drills and personnel exchanges over the years.

“The leaders discussed matters of mutual interest, regional maritime security situation and avenues for enhanced cooperation in defense, training and security,” the Pakistan Navy said in a statement. “Both leaders pledged to further strengthen and diversify the scope of existing bilateral defense relationship.”

The two commanders also appreciated the successful conduct of the latest iteration of the joint naval exercise Naseem Al Bahr-XV in the North Arabian Sea earlier this year.

Admiral Ashraf briefed his counterpart on Pakistan Navy’s Regional Maritime Security Patrols (RMSP) initiative to maintain maritime order, secure sea lanes and counter non-traditional threats such as piracy and smuggling across the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean region.

Pakistan is also a key participant in the US-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a 41-nation coalition based in Bahrain that conducts maritime security and counter-piracy operations across 3.2 million square miles of international waters.

It has previously commanded Combined Task Force (CTF)-150 and CTF-151, focused on maritime security and counter-piracy respectively, reinforcing its role as a regional maritime security provider.

The statement said Vice Admiral Al Ghuraybi acknowledged Pakistan Navy’s role in collaborative maritime efforts and commended the professional training being imparted to RSNF cadets at the Pakistan Naval Academy and onboard Pakistan Navy ships.

The Saudi delegation was also presented a Guard of Honour and briefed by senior officers at Naval Headquarters.

The Pakistan Navy said the visit would further deepen defense ties and enhance naval collaboration between the two brotherly countries.