ISLAMABAD: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, in Riyadh on Monday.
It was Bajwa’s third official visit to Saudi Arabia since he assumed command of Pakistan’s army in November 2016.
The crown prince and the army chief reviewed bilateral relations, with particular focus on military relations, Pakistan’s state radio reported.
Bajwa also reviewed the scope of the two country’s relationship with Commander of Ground Forces Lt. Gen. Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdul Aziz.
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) declined to comment further on the meeting.
In an earlier interview with Arab News, Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf Saeed Ahmed Al-Maliki, stressed the close ties between the two countries.
“Nobody can doubt the brotherly relations of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,” he said. “The depth of this relation cannot be gauged. Relations between the two countries are stronger than ever but the bond of religion is the most important relation we have above all, which is essential for every Muslim in the world.”
The importance Pakistan places on its relationship with the Kingdom was illustrated in August, when newly elected Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chose Saudi for his first official visit in office.
Before arriving in Saudi, Gen. Bajwa met with UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum in the Emirates on Saturday.
Bajwa stressed Pakistan’s gratitude to the UAE for the humanitarian assistance the Emirates has extended to Pakistanis residing in the UAE. He also expressed his admiration for the UAE’s development projects in Pakistan, initiated by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
