Daily Times

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Nadeem Raza has said that peace in Afghanistan is a collective responsibility and the entire region will benefit from stability in the war-torn country.

The high-ranking officer is currently on a visit to Russia to witness Exercise Peace Mission-2021 under the ambit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), said the Inter-Services Publis Relations (ISPR) in a statement released on Saturday. The JCSC chairman said Pakistan attaches great importance to furthering bilateral defence cooperation with Russia and China and believes that these countries will develop meaningful and long-term strategic relationships through enhanced cooperation, says Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) Chairman General Nadeem Raza.

Gen Nadeem also attended a meeting of the chiefs of general staff of the armed forces of SCO member states, where the forum discussed the international and regional geo-political environment with an emphasis on the situation in Afghanistan. The activities of transnational terrorist organisations in various regions of the world were also discussed. While addressing the forum, the JCSC chairman stated that Pakistan will continue to work with the SCO to advance the shared objectives of peace, progress and stability in the region, and beyond, the ISPR statement quoted him as saying. General Raza also highlighted the “unparalleled contributions” of the Pakistan armed forces towards global peace and sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

On the sidelines, the JCSC chairman also had bilateral engagements with Russian Federation Chief of General Staff General Valery V. Gerasimov and PLA China Chief of Joint Staff General Li Zuocheng. The closing ceremony of the Exercise Peace Mission 2021 was held at the Donguz training area in Orenburg Region, Russia.

Colonel General Alexander Lapin Commander of Central Military district Russia was the chief guest on this occasion. Troops from all SCO member states participated in the exercises and shared each other’s experiences.