Chief of South African National Defence Force General Rudzani Maphwanya, who is on an official visit to Pakistan, called on Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Nadeem Raza at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the military said in a statement on Thursday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), both sides deliberated upon various areas of interest, bilateral cooperation including security, counter-terrorism and the prevailing regional environment during the meeting. The dignitaries dilated upon measures to enhance the level and scope of military engagements between both countries and reaffirmed to continue to forge deeper ties. The JCSC chairman said that Pakistan is keen to expand its existing bilateral military-to-military cooperation with South Africa. The visiting dignitary lauded the professionalism of the Pakistan armed forces and acknowledged their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. Earlier, upon arrival at the Joint Staff Headquarters, a smartly turned out tri-services contingent presented a ‘guard of honour’ to the visiting dignitary. In his visit in 2021, General Rudzani Maphwanya also called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and appreciated Pakistan’s role in regional peace and stability especially the Afghan peace process. During the meeting, the ISPR said, matters of mutual interests, regional security situation and defence, training and security cooperation between the two countries were discussed. The army chief said that Pakistan attaches great value to its relations with South Africa. “Pakistan views South Africa as a key country in the African continent and we appreciate South Africa’s role towards regional peace, security and development of the African region,” the military’s media wing cited Gen Qamar as saying.