Kuwait Army Chief Meets Pakistani General to Expand Defense Partnership
Lieut. Gen. Khaled Al-Shuraiaan, Kuwait’s Chief of the General Staff, received Brig. Gen. Naveed Qalb-i-Abbas, Director of Operations of the Pakistani Army, and his delegation in Kuwait City on Thursday to discuss bilateral relations and military cooperation, the Kuwait Army said in a statement reported by Arab Times on June 18, 2026. The officials examined ways to develop ties in a manner that serves the common interests of both countries, according to the army announcement. The meeting reflects continued high-level contact between the two armed forces following comparable discussions held in May.
The Kuwait Army statement detailed that the Thursday talks focused on aspects of military cooperation and opportunities for further collaboration between the friendly nations. Al-Shuraiaan and Qalb-i-Abbas reviewed existing frameworks without announcing new specific initiatives in the released account. Arab Times attributed the information to a KUNA dispatch that summarised the army’s readout of the visit.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs records show that Kuwait and Pakistan signed a Defence Cooperation Agreement on June 11, 2023, in Kuwait’s Ministry of Defence. Ambassador Malik Muhammad Farooq signed for Pakistan while Brig. Gen. Fawaz Khudair Muhammad Al-Harbi represented the Kuwaiti side. Both sides expressed hope that the pact would expand defence cooperation, according to the ministry’s official posting.
A July 2025 assessment by the Gulf International Forum noted that Pakistan Army’s National Counter Terrorism Center has conducted bilateral and multinational exercises involving troops from Kuwait. The forum’s report placed these activities within broader defence partnerships that include joint drills with several Gulf states, although cooperation levels with Kuwait, the UAE and Oman have varied since the 1990s. Pakistani forces participated in demining operations in Kuwait after the 1991 liberation from Iraqi occupation, the assessment found.
Pakistan’s foreign office stated in July 2025 that Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya agreed to strengthen collaboration in defence training, cybersecurity and military joint exercises. The Arab News report on the meeting highlighted plans to increase high-level official exchanges across trade, investment, energy, food security and defence. Those discussions preceded the latest military-level engagement by nearly a year.
The Kuwait Army statement indicated the latest meeting builds on the 2023 agreement and prior talks, including the May 2026 session between the same two commanders reported by Qatar News Agency. Such exchanges maintain momentum in operational coordination and strategic dialogue. Further outcomes from Thursday’s discussions were not disclosed in the initial readout.
