Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday welcomed the ratification of the Pakistan-Kuwait Defence Cooperation Agreement during a meeting with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

“Recognising the longstanding defence partnership between Pakistan and Kuwait, the DPM Dar welcomed Kuwait’s recent ratification of the Pakistan-Kuwait Defence Cooperation Agreement, signed in June 2023,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

DPM Dar noted that the agreement marked an important milestone in bilateral defence relations and would further strengthen institutional linkages between the Armed Forces of the two countries while enhancing defence cooperation.

Earlier, Pakistan and Kuwait agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including trade, investment, energy, labour, agriculture, information technology, health, mining and minerals, and defence, as the two sides held delegation-level talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday on a two-day official visit which is aimed at reviewing the full spectrum of Pakistan-Kuwait relations and exchanging views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

According to a statement issued by the MoFA, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar co-chaired the talks with Kuwait’s foreign minister in Islamabad.

“FM Dar and Sheikh Jarrah reviewed the entire spectrum of Pakistan–Kuwait bilateral relations and explored ways to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy, labour, agriculture, information technology, health, mining and minerals, defence, and the broader economic partnership,” it said.

The statement said that the two ministers “agreed to further institutionalise bilateral cooperation through enhanced institutional linkages and regular high-level exchanges.”

It further added that both ministers also “reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination and cooperation at multilateral forums on issues of mutual interest.”

During the meeting, Kuwait’s foreign minister thanked the government and people of Pakistan for the “warm welcome and gracious hospitality” extended to him and his delegation. He also expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s support to Kuwait during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FM Dar, for his part, “reaffirmed Pakistan’s deep commitment to its longstanding brotherly relations with Kuwait” and underscored Islamabad’s desire “to further expand the mutually beneficial partnership across all areas of cooperation.”

“The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments, including the situation in the Middle East and Palestine, while Sheikh Jarrah commended Pakistan’s “constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability,” said the ministry.

The visit came as Pakistan is negotiating an expanded defence pact with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investment. The talks, however, remain at an early stage and could still be complicated by heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, according to five sources familiar with the discussions.

Read: Kuwait’s foreign minister arrives in Pakistan for bilateral talks

Kuwait has had a limited defence agreement with Pakistan covering training and joint exercises since 2023. It is now seeking a broader arrangement similar to Pakistan’s defence pact with Saudi Arabia, including “thousands of Pakistani troops on the ground, fighter jets, drones, an air defence system, and other defence-related facilities”, a Pakistani government official said.

It remains unclear whether Pakistan is willing to go that far, given that its agreement with Saudi Arabia was the result of a decades-old close alliance with Riyadh.

Notably, the visit comes at a critical juncture as renewed attacks by Iran on Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have heightened regional tensions.