ISLAMABAD
Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, will arrive in Islamabad today on an official visit. It will be Prince Faisal’s second state visit to Pakistan within a year. He was in Islamabad in December 2020 for talks with Pakistani leadership. The Saudi foreign minister is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. He will be accompanied by a delegation comprising senior officials of the Saudi government. During the visit, the two foreign ministers will exchange views on the entire gamut of bilateral relations and regional and international issues.
The Saudi foreign minister will also call on other dignitaries as well during the visit.
The visit of Saudi Foreign Minister holds special significance in the backdrop of the recent visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia in May 2021. It will provide a timely opportunity to review progress in bilateral cooperation in line with the vision of the leadership of the two countries.
In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long-standing and historic fraternal relations, rooted deep in common faith, shared history and mutual support. He said the relationship is marked by close cooperation in all fields and mutual collaboration on regional and international issues.
Chaudhri said that Saudi Arabia is a member of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir and has steadfastly supported the Kashmir cause. Frequent high-level visits are a key feature of the relationship that serve to further deepen and broaden the relationship in myriad dimensions.
The spokesperson said the visit of the Saudi foreign minister will reinforce the positive momentum in high-level exchanges and the deepening of bilateral cooperation in diverse fields.
An official of Saudi embassy in Islamabad said that the visit is a continuation of “high-level engagements between the two countries which started with the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, followed by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to the kingdom.” TLTP
