ISLAMABAD

Pakistan’s naval chief, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, visited the US to strengthen maritime collaboration and defense cooperation, the Pakistani military said Friday.

According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, Ashraf met US Deputy Chief of Naval Operations Vice Admiral Yvette Davids and Acting Vice Commandant of the US Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thomas G. Allan Jr.

The statement did not specify the exact date of the visit.

During the meetings, both sides discussed matters of professional interest, regional maritime security, and opportunities for cooperation in training and joint operations.

Pakistani naval chief also visited the National Defense University in Washington and met its president, Vice Admiral Peter A. Garvin.

At the US State Department, he met Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Stanley L. Brown.

The visit comes amid renewed high-level defense diplomacy between Pakistan and the US. Earlier this year, Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, made three visits to Washington and met US President Donald Trump twice.

In June, Trump hosted a luncheon in Munir’s honor, followed by another meeting in September during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s trip to Washington.

In July, Pakistan Air Force Chief Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu also visited the US for meetings with senior military and State Department officials.

Bilateral ties have strengthened in recent months following Trump’s role in mediating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India after a four-day armed conflict in May.