Photo courtesy ISPR
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Asim Munir on Monday called on Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and discussed cooperation in regional security matters, according to a statement issued by the military’s media wing.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the Army chief met the CENTCOM chief at the Headquarters Central Command in Tampa Bay, Florida. “During the meeting, matters of shared interests, particularly cooperation in regional security matters came under discussion,” it said, adding both sides had discussed avenues of joint training and reiterated the need for enhancing training interactions between CENTCOM and the Pakistan Army.
According to the military’s media wing, the COAS also visited CENTCOM Joint Operations Center during his visit.
The Army chief is currently on an official visit to the U.S. Last week, he and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum met key government officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Secretary of Defense Gen. (retd.) Llyod J. Austin; Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland; Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer; and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown. According to brief statements issued after the meetings, the Army chief discussed bilateral interests, global and regional security issues, and ongoing conflicts.
Additionally, Gen. Munir met U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a visit to New York, where he reaffirmed Pakistan’s stance on Palestine and urged the U.N. Security Council to mobilize the global community to secure an immediate halt to hostilities in Gaza. He also engaged with the Pakistani diaspora at an event hosted by the Pakistan embassy in Washington, encouraging them to invest in their homeland through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).
Also on Monday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a regular press briefing that Pakistan is a “major non-NATO ally of the United States and a NATO partner.” To a query on the Army chief’s visit to the U.S., he said Washington looked forward to partnering with Islamabad on regional security and defense cooperation.
To another query on the upcoming general elections in Pakistan, the spokesperson reiterated that the U.S. supports free and fair elections in the country. “We don’t take a position as it comes to … when it comes to political parties in Pakistan, and we will engage with the leaders that the Pakistani people select,” he added.