ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is expected to receive maritime surveillance P-3C Orion aircraft from the US this year in an indication of strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries.
The Ambassador to the US, Sherry Rehman, who has been meeting top American officials as part of efforts to restore the full range of bilateral ties, said civil and defence cooperation between the two sides was gaining momentum.
At a meeting with visiting Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Muhammad Shafique, the ambassador discussed matters related to cooperation between the Pakistani and American navies.
Rehman expressed satisfaction over senior-level exchanges, such as the visit of Shafique.
She said that such interactions were important to push forward Pakistan-US defence ties.
She said that the Pakistan Navy’s key role in securing sea-lanes in North Arabian Sea as part of an anti-piracy international coalition had been widely appreciated in the US.
As a result of some hectic diplomacy, Washington and Islamabad have come out of a difficult phase in ties since early 2011, following a series of high-level meetings and trust-building measures.
Internews
