Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has begun a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia along with a high-level government and military delegation. The visit is being seen as an attempt to further strengthen political, economic and strategic ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
According to an official statement, the Prime Minister is accompanied by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi, while Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who is already in Saudi Arabia, will attend the meetings.
The government says that the Prime Minister will perform Umrah during his stay and will also visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. In addition, he is expected to have an important meeting with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
According to the Foreign Office, the two leaders will discuss further expanding bilateral relations, investment, trade, energy, defense cooperation and regional and global issues of mutual interest. This meeting is taking place at a time when the importance of diplomatic relations has increased due to the changing situation in the Middle East.
According to observers, close relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia span several decades and the two countries are continuously promoting mutual cooperation in various fields. According to them, high-level meetings can not only create new opportunities for economic cooperation and investment but can also be helpful in making peace, stability and communication on common interests in the region more effective.
Government officials say that this visit will provide an opportunity to carry forward the tradition of trust and cooperation between the two brotherly countries, while joint projects and diplomatic coordination in various fields are also expected to be further strengthened in the future.