Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir met Saudi defence minister Prince Khalid on Thursday in Riyadh to discuss military and bilateral relations.

“We emphasized the strategic partnership between our brotherly countries, reviewed the bilateral military and defense relations, and discussed ways of strengthening our cooperation,” Prince Khalid bin Salman said in a tweet.

Chief of General Staff Maj. General Muhammad Irfan was also present in the meeting. Reports said that the Saudi defence minister congratulated General Munir on taking charge as COAS.

Inter-Services Public Relations said that the army chief will visit KSA and UAE from January 4 to January 10. This is the chief’s first international visit after taking charge on November 29 last year.

“COAS will be meeting the senior leadership of both brotherly countries to discuss matters of mutual interest, military to military cooperation and bilateral relations focusing on security related subjects,” the statement said.