Pakistani Navy frigate, Tariq, docked at Shuwaikh Port on Monday on a visit aimed at “strengthening bilateral ties with Kuwait,” amid its mission to safeguard waterways from “unlawful practices.
“This visit is aimed at collaboration with the Kuwait Navy and to express our resolve in standing alongside our brothers,” Captain Abdul Rahman told reporters in a press conference onboard the ship, which made its third stop in the Gulf region after Bahrain and Oman ahead of its return home.
Pakistan and Kuwait benefit from “strong diplomatic and economic ties,” he said, adding that both of their navies have a “professional relationship on joint training collaboration and short visits, which are manifested in this visit, along with others made by the Pakistan Navy every two months.” On the history of this cooperation, he said “this goes back to the inception of the Pakistan Navy in the early 1980s.” Ahead of its departure, the ship’s crew will be conducting training exercises with the Kuwait Navy, followed by meetings with senior Kuwaiti officials. This, he said, is “aimed at strengthening relations and expressing our (Pakistan’s) resolve to work together (with Kuwait).” Tariq is the first out of a squadron of 25 Pakistan navy ships, and “is named after the gallant Muslim leader Tariq bin Ziyad, whose conquests led to the expansion of the Islamic rule in Europe.” A frigate of what he described as “type 21″, she was acquired from the British Navy in the early 1990s, after which she received a number of modifications to her weapons and sensor systems in order to fit the specifications of the Pakistan Navy.” Pakistan is committed to peace and security in the region and the freedom of sea, the navy being a “tool for the government’s policies in its mission to safeguard Pakistan’s interests,” he underlined. The captain also pledged his country’s commitment to assisting in the international community’s efforts in maintaining stability and tackling terrorism in all its forms.
The Pakistan Navy, alongside its regional and international partners, has been part of the Coalition Maritime Campaign Plan (CMCP) since April 2004 in their mission to prevent “unlawful maritime practices.” Within its mission, the CMCP – which was sanctioned by the Security Council according to the UN Charter Chapter VII – aims to “prevent the transportation of counterfeit goods, human-trafficking and to maintain the security of waterways and sea farers in the northern part of the Arabian Sea.” The coalition also aims to tackle these practices in the Strait of Hormuz and the Horn of Africa, he said, affirming his country’s intentions to contribute positively to these efforts and to put a stop to acts of piracy. (end) hrz.sd KUNA 302054 Sep 13NNNN
Via: www.kuna.net
