ISLAMABAD: In another significant development highlighting Pakistan’s growing strategic importance in the Gulf, Kuwait and Pakistan have officially signed a new joint defence and military cooperation agreement.
The agreement was signed in Islamabad on Thursday during the visit of Kuwaiti Defence Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif signed on behalf of Pakistan, while the Kuwaiti defence minister signed for Kuwait.
The agreement is aimed at strengthening operational coordination, exchanging military expertise and enhancing cooperation between the armed forces of the two brotherly countries. It also focuses on supporting regional security, stability and mutual interests.
Under the newly signed Protocol Agreement-2026, Pakistan will extend assistance to Kuwait in areas including military training, capacity building, border management and other mutually agreed fields of defence cooperation.
The development comes shortly after Kuwait formally ratified the broader Pakistan/Kuwait Defence Cooperation Agreement originally signed in 2023. That agreement provides a framework for cooperation in military training and education, logistics, personnel exchanges, technical expertise, intelligence and scientific and technological fields.
For Pakistan, the latest agreement represents more than another defence arrangement. It reflects the confidence of a key Gulf state in Pakistan’s military expertise and strengthens Islamabad’s role as an important security partner in the region.
With Pakistan’s defence partnerships expanding across the Gulf and wider Muslim world, the country is increasingly positioning itself as a key contributor to regional security and stability.
From Kuwait to Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, Pakistan’s defence diplomacy is entering a new and strategically important phase.
Safina Khan | VOA News UK
