Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, who was on an official visit to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, attended 1st Saudi the International Maritime Forum-2019 (SIM Forum-2019) held in Riyadh.

The Admiral also addressed the forum, graced second session as guest of honour, called on Commander Royal Saudi Naval Forces and held interactions with his naval counterparts from various countries.

'Saudi International Maritime Forum-2019' was the first multinational naval event organised by Saudi Royal Naval Forces. The forum included series of lectures and panel discussions by speakers from various think-tanks and international navies encompassing regional maritime security concepts, threats and opportunities in global context, increasing capacity for countering emerging threats and tackling future challenges in maritime industry.

The three-day long multinational naval event was attended by naval leaders from 13 countries and also included an exhibition of the latest technologies, equipment and systems in the marine environment.

The Chief of the Naval Staff addressed the SIM Forum and also graced second session of the conference as guest of honour. During the conference, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi called on Commander Royal Saudi Naval Forces, Vice-Admiral Fahad Bin Abdullah Al-Ghofaily and also interacted with various heads of foreign navies.

During the meetings with the foreign dignitaries, matters of mutual interest and bilateral naval collaboration were discussed.

The Naval Chief highlighted Pakistan's commitment in the fight against terrorism including Pakistan Navy's peace initiatives in support of maritime security in the region. It is expected that current visit of the Chief of the Naval Staff would greatly augment the bilateral cooperation between both the brotherly countries in general and the two navies in particular.

Copyright Independent News Pakistan, 2019