ANKARA, 22 February 2018: The 13th meeting of Turkey-Pakistan High Level Military Dialogue Group (HLMDG) was held in Ankara from 19-23 February. General Umit DUNDAR, Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff, Republic of Turkey led Turkish delegation, while Lt. Gen. (Retd) Zamir-Ul-Hasan Shah, Secretary Defence led Pakistan delegation in the talks.
Prior to the meeting, Lt. Gen. (Retd) Zamir-Ul-Hasan Shah had meetings with General Hulusi AKAR, Chief of Turkish General Staff, and General Umit DUNDAR, Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff.
During the HLMDG meeting, both delegations discussed all avenues of mutual cooperation in military training, education, defence industry cooperation, regional security and fight against terrorism. Both sides reaffirmed the resolve to further deepen defence cooperation.
Both sides deliberated upon areas of mutual interest, including security, counter terrorism and prevailing regional environment particularly with reference to Middle East, South Asia and Afghanistan. Besides, delegations took stock of the progress that has been made since the last HLMDG meeting held in Pakistan in January 2017.
Lt. Gen. (Retd) Zamir-Ul-Hasan Shah also held meetings with Minister for National Defence, Undersecretary for Defence Industry, and visited defence industry firms including ASELSAN, TAI, HAVELSAN and ROKETSAN.
Talks were held in a most cordial and congenial atmosphere. Delegation leaders resolved to enhance cooperation in defence and security related issues. The HLMDG is the highest level of institutional mechanism between Pakistan and Turkey, mandated to charter policies and action plans to promote ties in the defence field. The next session of Pakistan-Turkey HLMDG meeting will be held in Pakistan in 2019.