PRETORIA, South Africa: The Minister of Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain held a meeting with the Defence Minister of South Africa Mapisa-Nqakula in Pretoria City of South Africa on Friday and discussed a wide range of bilateral relations including those in the fields of economic, investment, defence and defence production.
“Pakistan-South Africa relations are increasing with a steady pace”, Rana Tanveer observed said while talking to Mapisa-Nqakula.
Both the minister 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 fifth session of Pakistan-South Africa Joint Commission, at the raised level of Deputy Foreign Minister, has been scheduled to take place in Islamabad in November.
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 Attach‚ in Islamabad would soon be established so as to follow up on bilateral defence related matters expeditiously.
She revealed that the new Defence Attach‚ of South Africa will assume charge of his duties in Islamabad by the end of 2016.
Rana Tanveer welcomed the decision and said 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 Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal and High Commissioner Najm us Saqib accompanied the 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 September 14-18, 2016.
The minister and his delegation witnessed the aerial and static display of Pakistan made Super Mushshaq aircraft along with various foreign dignitaries.
A presentation on promotion of JF-17 Thunder fighter 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.
On the sidelines of the AAD the minister held a fruitful meeting with Yang Ying President of CATIC China where the different aspects of cooperation were discussed.
