Pakistan and Kuwait signed the “Protocol Agreement 2026” to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation, with sources describing the accord as an extension of an existing defence agreement between the two countries.

According to sources, the agreement reflected the longstanding “brotherly relations” between Pakistan and Kuwait and their shared commitment to deepening defence ties.

Sources said the protocol built upon the Agreement for Defence Cooperation signed in 2023, which was subsequently ratified by Kuwait in 2026.

The new agreement translated the longstanding trust between the two countries into stronger institutional and operational cooperation, sources said, adding that the relationship was also demonstrated during and after the First Gulf War.

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The protocol provided a formal institutional framework for expanding defence cooperation, strengthening military-to-military linkages and enhancing engagement in areas including military training and deployment, according to sources.

Sources stressed that the agreement was not linked to any other bilateral or multilateral arrangement and should be viewed exclusively within the framework of Pakistan-Kuwait defence relations.

They described the protocol as essentially an extension of the 2023 Agreement for Defence Cooperation, providing the mechanism required for its effective implementation.

The agreement, therefore, represented another step towards institutionalising and further strengthening the longstanding defence partnership between Pakistan and Kuwait, sources said.