RAWALPINDI: South Africa has expressed the desire to strengthen the existing military cooperation with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Pakistan’s military said in a statement on Monday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “A high-level defence delegation from the Republic of South Africa, led by Dr Thobekile Gamede, Acting Secretary of Defence, called on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, at Air Headquarters, Islamabad.”
During the meeting, the Chief of the Air Staff reiterated PAF’s commitment to collaborating with the South African Air Force in military-military cooperation and the training domain, ISPR said.
“Dr Thobekile Gamede commended the professionalism and accomplishments of the Pakistan Air Force, highlighting its success in the domains of indigenisation and cutting-edge technological advancements. She expressed a desire for cooperation from PAF for modernisation and servicing of critical equipment,” ISPR said.
It added the dignitary also conveyed an earnest interest in bolstering the existing cooperation between the Air Forces of both countries.
“This includes cooperation for increased collaborative efforts to revamp training setups, ranging from basic to tactical levels, across multiple warfare domains,” the statement said.
The ISPR said the South African delegation also articulated intentions to re-equip their Air Force and establish an industrial setup aligned with the National Aerospace Science and Technology Park being spearheaded by PAF.
“This visit of Acting Secretary of Defence South Africa to Air Headquarters, Islamabad is a testament to the strong commitment of both nations to further enhance their military partnership through continued dialogue and collaboration,” it said.
In October last year, Special Forces comprising the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) and South African Special Forces conducted two week-long bilateral exercises in Pakistan.
Pakistan and South Africa signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2017 entailing an increase in bilateral defence cooperation, especially in terms of defence industry collaboration, training and armament procurement.
