Russian troops arrive for third joint exercise
islamabad — A Russian Army contingent arrived here on Monday to take part in the third edition of a joint bilateral military training exercise, the Pakistan Army said.
The two armies will be holding joint military drills in the mountains of northwestern Pakistan which will continue till November 4.
This will be the third joint military drill between Pakistan and Russia under the bilateral training cooperation agreement, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army.
“Russian Army Contingent arrived in Pakistan to participate in the Pak-Russia Joint Training Exercise ‘Druzhba-III’,” the statement added.
The army did not provide any further details about the drills.
Earlier, the Russian army said that drill will be held at the training range in Nowshera district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and over 70 soldiers from Russia’s southern military district will participate.
The servicemen from the two countries’ armed forces will perform tasks at the altitude of 1,400 metres above the sea level.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army said the third exercise was part of the Pak-Russia bilateral training cooperation. The two sides are trying to bolster defence ties and in August they signed an agreement allowing Pakistani troops to train in Russia.
The agreement was signed during the visit of Deputy Defence Minister of Russia, Colonel General Alexander Fomin, to Islamabad to participate in the first RussiaPakistan Joint Military Consultative Committee meeting on security and defence. —