(ABNA24.com) Special Forces from Pakistan and Russia—two cold war enemies—will be participating in the war games, dubbed ‘Friendship-2019’.
The drill is slated to be held at the Molkino practice range, near the city of Krasnodar, in early October, according to the press office of Russia’s Southern Military District.
About 50 Russian forces will be taking part in the drill, which is aimed at exchanging experience between servicemen, developing and strengthening bilateral military and military-technical cooperation.
The report did not mention the number of participants from the Pakistani side.
It said mixed special-purpose groups, consisting of forces from both sides, will perform combat training tasks using Russian military hardware.
Pakistan, the traditional US ally in the region, which had been receiving military assistance from Washington, has suspended military and intelligence cooperation with the US following a similar move by President Donald Trump.
This has prompted Islamabad to seek closer ties with Moscow in recent years.
Pakistani media reported earlier this month that Prime Minister Imran Khan will be attending the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Russia which is to be held in September.
The thaw in relations between Islamabad and Moscow came in 2014, when Russia officially lifted an arms embargo against Pakistan, which had been in place since the Soviet-Afghan War.
Pakistan’s growing interest in Russian technology became even more apparent when reports pointed to Islamabad’s willingness to purchase Russian S-400 missile defense systems, among other items.
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