US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin has met with Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir at the Pentagon, as he begins his maiden US visit after assuming charge of the army chief last year.

“The two officials discussed recent regional security developments and potential areas for bilateral defense cooperation,” said a statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder issued on Wednesday.

COAS Munir left for the US on December 10. A brief statement from Pakistan military’s media wing said that the army chief is scheduled to meet with the senior military and other government officials of US during his visit.

Munir succeeded Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa as the military chief on November 29, 2022 at the change of command ceremony at the Army Hockey Stadium, close to the GHQ in Rawalpindi.

A query related to COAS Munir’s scheduled visit was also raised during a press briefing held by Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj Gen Pat Ryder on Tuesday.

“I don’t have any meetings to read out from the podium. Certainly, as you know, when the secretary meets with foreign counterparts and leaders, we provide a readout. So if we have a readout to put out, we’ll certainly do that,” he said when asked what Secretary Austin was looking for during the meeting.

When asked about the US-Pakistan military relations, Ryder said: “Pakistan continues to be an important partner in the region. And so obviously through CENTCOM, we continue to stay in close contact with them, particularly when it comes to issues like counter-terrorism.”