Turkey and Pakistan on Monday agreed to increase their cooperation in the military field, especially in training and the fight against terrorism.
According to a statement by the Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan (ISPR), General Ümit Dündar of the Turkish Land Forces met with General Qamar Javed Bajwa, chief of army staff (COAS) in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi.
Discussing bilateral relations during the visit, the two senior military officials underlined the importance of defense and security cooperation.
Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi on the same day conferred the Nishan-e-Imtiaz or Order of Excellence – a highly prestigious military award – to Dündar, at the President House in the capital, Islamabad.
The ceremony was attended by high civil and military officials, including the Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, state-run Pakistan Television reported.
Dündar graduated from the Army War College in 1985, from Royal Army Staff College (United Kingdom) in 1991 and from the Armed Forces College in 1994.
He served as the chief of construction, real estate and NATO infrastructure department of the Ministry of National Defense from 2001 to 2004 and as the commander of the 28th Mechanized Infantry Brigade from 2004 to 2005. During this period, he also served as the commander of the Multinational Brigade in Afghanistan, according to a statement issued from the Presidency.
He was promoted to the rank of major general in 2005, lieutenant-general in 2009 and general in 2013.
He served as the commander of the 3rd Army for two years and subsequently served as the commander of the 1st Army. He also served as the acting chief of the general staff for a brief period in 2016.
Dündar served as the deputy chief of the general staff from 2016 to 2018.
He was appointed as the commander of the Turkish Land Forces by Turkey’s president in July 2018.
Dündar was called a “sincere and close friend of Pakistan who played a role in the strengthening of Pakistan-Turkish ties” at the ceremony.
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