RAWALPINDI: Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Alexey Yurevish Dedov called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations said on Thursday.
The visiting dignitary conferred Order of Friendship, Medal for Courage in Salvation and Medal for the Common Wealth in Rescue to 10 officers and two soldiers of Pakistan Army in recognition of their cooperation, commitment and audacity during a search and rescue operation at Latok-1 to rescue Russian mountaineer Alexander Gukov, the ISPR statement said.
Mountaineer Alexander Gukov was rescued by Pakistan Army from 20,650 feet on Latok I peak in the Biafo glacier region in July 2018. The rescue mission, which spanned over six days, was carried out by the Army Aviation under the most hostile and challenging conditions.
The Russian ambassador also presented Medal for the Common Wealth in Rescue and Letter of Commendation of Russian Mountaineering Federation to COAS General Bajwa, the ISPR said.
Matters related to regional security and bilateral cooperation were also discussed during the meeting.