ISLAMABAD: During a visit to Islamabad on Monday, Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman discussed with Pakistan’s leaders ways in which strategic cooperation can be strengthened, according to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
“Saudi-Pakistani relations are exemplary,” Qureshi said on Tuesday. “I was present during the meeting of the visiting deputy defense minister with Prime Minister Imran Khan, during which the two sides discussed bilateral and regional issues in detail. We also discussed the way forward in strengthening strategic cooperation between the two countries.”
The minister said Prince Khalid was also taken into confidence on the latest developments in Afghanistan, and the prime minister briefed him on the deteriorating situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.
In a message posted on Twitter after his trip, Prince Khalid wrote: “The visit to Pakistan is an extension of the brotherly relations between the two countries and two brotherly peoples, and a step in the framework of strengthening their strategic cooperation and their pioneering role in the Islamic world and the region.” He added that his trip was an attempt to further consolidate relations between the two countries.
The prime minister’s office on Monday said: “Prime Minister Imran Khan appreciated the growing economic ties between the two countries and the Saudi commitment to investment in diverse sectors. He acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s strong economic support for Pakistan particularly at the time of economic challenges.”
After his meeting with Khan, Prince Khalid met Pakistan Army Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad.
“Views were exchanged on issues of mutual interest including defense and security cooperation, measures to further enhance bilateral defense collaboration, including the Training Exchange Program, and the overall regional security situation, including the situation in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” the Pakistani military’s media office said.
