Pakistan woos Thai army

Pakistan woos Thai army

Pakistan is seeking increased cooperation with Thailand on military affairs, including peacekeeping and anti-terrorism operations.

The issues were discussed by army chief Worapong Sa-nganet and Pakistani ambassador to Thailand Sohail Khan during a meeting at army headquarters on Friday.

Mr Khan was making a courtesy call on Gen Worapong to introduce himself after being appointed as the new Pakistan ambassador to Thailand. 

The two also discussed Pakistan's request to send observers to the Cobra Gold annual military exercise to be held in February next year, Gen Worapong said.

Cobra Gold is a longstanding annual multinational military exercise and the bedrock of Thai-US military relations.

During the discussion, Gen Worapong said he expressed Thailand's condolences regarding the Taliban attack on an army-run school in the Pakistan city of Peshawar earlier this week in which 148 people were killed, 132 of them children.

Mr Khan confirmed that strong ties between Thailand and Pakistan remain at both military and government levels.

Both men agreed the two countries should collaborate more in military exercises, research and development and promote exchanges of armed forces personnel for military studies.

They also agreed to work together on peacekeeping procedures and anti-terrorism measures.

During the meeting, Mr Khan extended an invitation for Gen Worapong to visit Pakistan to observe its military affairs. Pakistan's military is well known for its anti-terrorism expertise.

Gen Worapong accepted the invitation, saying Thailand would benefit from working with Pakistan.

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