Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani is likely to leave for Russia on an official visit on October 4. This is the first ever military chief of Pakistan to visit Russia. After cancellation of Russian President Vladimir Putin visit to Pakistan, rumours were rife in the capital that it might affect Kayani's scheduled visit to Russia, but a reliable government official confirmed that CoAS would leave for Russia as per schedule on October 4.
Before his departure on October 4, Kayani held meeting with Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and briefed him about his upcoming visit to Russia. General Kayani is expected to meet his Russian counterpart and the President of Russia. Earlier, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt attended 100 years' of celebrations of Russian Air Force in August this year.
The Air Chief was invited by his Russian counterpart to attend the celebrations that were marked with a mega Air Show at famous Zhukovsky airfield. The airfield is globally known as the venue of the Max Air Show, which hosted Aerial and Static displays of vintage as well as fifth generation combat aircrafts.
During his short stay, the PAF Air Chief held a formal meeting with his Russian counterpart and discussed various professional matters including strengthening relations between the two Air Forces. Pakistan and Russia had remained bitter cold-war rivals in the 1980s when Islamabad joined the US-led alliance, which defeated the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
According to sources, the two countries would push for greater military-to-military co-operation during CoAS Kayani's trip, adding that Islamabad and Moscow share similar views on the Afghan situation and have voiced concern over US military presence in the war-torn country beyond 2014.
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