Pakistan, Kuwait Move to Deepen Defence Partnership After Pact Ratification

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office on Wednesday said in a statement that Pakistan had welcomed Kuwait’s ratification of a 2023 defence cooperation agreement between the two countries.

In a statement issued in Islamabad the Foreign Office spokesman the agreement marked “another important milestone in the longstanding defence partnership between the two brotherly countries, dating back to the early 1980s”.

“It also reflects the shared resolve of both sides to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation and elevate their security partnership,” Andrabi was quoted as saying.

The statement added that the pact provides a comprehensive institutional framework to broaden defence cooperation, encompassing military training, joint exercises, exchanges of expertise and “other mutually agreed areas of collaboration”.

“It will further enhance institutional linkages between the armed forces of both countries and consolidate the longstanding defence ties between Pakistan and Kuwait,” the statement read.

The FO added that Pakistan and Kuwait would continue to work closely to implement the pact in accordance with its provisions, thereby “expanding bilateral defence collaboration, strengthening their enduring defence partnership underpinned by mutual trust, shared interests, and close institutional cooperation and contributing to regional peace, security and stability”.

The statement came as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, in Islamabad earlier today.

In a statement, the FO said that DPM Dar welcomed Kuwait’s recent ratification of the agreement, noting that it marked an important milestone in bilateral defence relations and would further strengthen institutional links between both nations’ militaries.

Pakistan has been negotiating an expanded defence pact with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investment.

Pakistan and Kuwait have maintained close defence relations for more than four decades, with cooperation spanning military training, professional exchanges and capacity-building programmes. Officers from the Kuwaiti armed forces have regularly attended courses at Pakistan’s military training institutions, while the two countries have also engaged in periodic defence consultations.

Beyond defence cooperation, Pakistan and Kuwait have sought to expand their economic partnership, particularly in the energy sector. Kuwaiti investments in Pakistan’s oil, refining and infrastructure sectors have featured prominently in bilateral discussions, with Islamabad encouraging greater participation by Kuwaiti public and private sector entities in its investment projects.

The latest development reflects a broader trend of growing strategic engagement between Pakistan and the Gulf states. In recent years, Islamabad has strengthened defence and security cooperation with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) alongside efforts to deepen economic ties, attract foreign investment and promote regional stability through closer political and military coordination.