Abbasi witnesses military exercises in Saudi Arabia

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Monday witnessed the concluding ceremony of the joint tri-services military exercise “Gulf Shield-1” held along the East Coast of Saudi Arabia, his office in Islamabad said.

The month-long exercise was joined by troops from over 20 countries and was aimed at strengthening “military and security cooperation and coordination” among the regional countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

Abbasi attended the exercises on the special invitation of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Troops of the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft, JF-17 Thunder Fighter jets, Pakistan Navy ships and commandos from the Special Services Group also participated in the exercise.

The exercises were aimed at raising the level of preparedness, enhancing mutual coordination and cooperation among the participating countries and exchange of expertise and security integration.

—IANS