“Pakistan-South Africa relations are increasing with a steady pace”, Rana Tanveer Hussain, the Federal Minister of Defence Production and Science and Technology of the Government of Pakistan, observed in Pretoria, today. He stated this after holding a detailed bilateral meeting with Ms. Mapisa-Nqakula, the Defence Minister of South Africa. Both Ministers discussed a wide range of bilateral relations including those in the fields of economic, investment, defence and defence production.
Both Ministers reviewed bilateral relations especially in the Defence and Defence related fields and expressed satisfaction over the steady pace of increasing relations between the two friendly countries. The 5th Session of Pakistan-South Africa Joint Commission, at the raised level of Deputy Foreign Minister, has been scheduled to take place in Islamabad in late November, 2016. The entire gamut of Pakistan-South Africa relations will be reviewed and discussed while exploring additional avenues of cooperation.
Minister Nqakula while accepting an invitation to pay a bilateral visit to Pakistan in November this year announced that the Office of Defence Attaché in Islamabad would soon be established so as to follow up on bilateral defence related matters expeditiously. The Minister revealed that the new Defence Attaché of South Africa will assume charge of his duties in Islamabad by the end of 2016. Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain welcomed the news and stated that Pakistan attached utmost importance to its relations with the friendly country of South Africa. Both Ministers also agreed to avail of the opportunity of excellent training facilities available in Pakistan for South African army personnel. Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Ch. Jaffar Iqbal and High Commissioner Najm us Saqib accompanied the Minister.
Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain is presently in South Africa at the invitation of Minister Nqakula to attend the 2016 Africa Aerospace & Defence (AAD) Exhibition, scheduled from 14-18 September, 2016.
The Minister and his delegation witnessed the aerial and static display of Super Mushshaq aircraft along with various foreign dignitaries. A presentation on promotion of JF-17 Thunder aircraft was also organized during the Exhibition, which was attended by local and foreign media as well.
Later, Minister Rana Tanveer visited the Pakistan Pavilion beautifully decorated by Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF), Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO), National Transport Research Centre (NTRC), Pakistan Business Aviation and Liaquat Corporation. The Minister also held detailed meetings with the South African defence related companies Denel and Paramount Group and discussed bilateral defence production matters with the respective CEOs. The Minister also held a fruitful meeting with Mr. Yang Ying President of CATIC China where the different aspects of cooperation were discussed.
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