Another visit to Saudi Arabia

More of a series of visit

RELATIONS between the most brotherly and friendly important countries of the Islamic bloc, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, are getting stronger with the passage of time following frequent visits of top leadership and delegations to each other country.

Quite obviously following Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s second visit to Saudi Arabia in a month, Pak-saudi bilateral ties as well as economic partnership were getting stronger and deeper.

PM Shehbaz Sharif had first visited Saudi Arabia in the first week of April 2024 to perform Umrah and had held an important meeting also with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad Bin Salman in Makkah and had reached some understanding for promoting mutual relations and enhancing Saudi Arabia investment in different sectors. It was worth mentioning here that within a week of his visit, on the special directions of the Crown Prince a high-level delegation from Saudi Arabia had visited Pakistan and explored possibilities of their country’s investment in different sectors of this country.

The Prime Minister paid another three days visit to Saudi towards of end of last month to attend the World Economic Forum’s Special Meeting on “Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development’ in Riyadh at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Muhammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud The PM was accompanied by a delegation including Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb among others.

He also held another important meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince. He thanked him for sending a high-level delegation to Pakistan and said that he has brought a high-level delegation for follow-up meetings.

While addressing the Forum, and in meetings with International Monetary Fund (IMF) MD, world renowned charitable figure Bill Gates and a number of world leaders on the sidelines of the WEF, the prime minister said that the government was in the process of implementing deep-rooted structural reforms, and he highlighted huge investment potential which could be explored and utilized by the prospective investors , termed global inequity in health the foremost problem and Pak- Saudi economic ties were entering a new era with trade boosting steps ahead and reiterated commitment to revive Pakistan’s economy through bold and active measures. He categorically made it clear that there could be no peace in the world without establishing a durable and lasting peace in Gaza.

He also held meetings with a number of Saudi Ministers for Investment, Industry and Finance who called him “Man of Action” and assured him full support to Pakistan which was a priority for their investment, and a delegation of Saudi investors will soon be visiting Pakistan (which it has done). Saudi Arabia will continue to cooperate in the fields of agriculture, information technology and energy.

In his meetings with the world leaders, the visiting Pakistani Prime Minister availed the opportunity to emphatically promote mutual cooperation in multilateral sectors as well as trade and investment. The prime minister said that his visit would be helpful in accelerating the pace of economic partnership between the two countries, and resolved to continue making all-out efforts to positively materialize the understanding reached between the top leadership of both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, pointedly stating that the economic partnership between them heralded a new era of bilateral relations.

A delegation of Saudi businessmen/investors was visiting Pakistan shortly (as it has done) and in this regard the federal government was making brisk preparations appropriately for fully utilizing the visiting delegation for promoting Saudi investment in different sectors.

It may be pointedly stated here that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy several-decades-old strong trade, defence and cultural ties.

Both countries have been closely working for increasing bilateral trade and investment deals and Saudi leadership has only recently reaffirmed its commitment for expediting an investment package worth $5 billion.

The Prime Minister’s visit has provided him an opportunity to promote bilateral relations with the world leaders present but also to further strengthen existing brotherly and friendly relations with the Saudi leadership which has always been responding positively and promptly to help Pakistan and its people in every difficult situation whatever it may be. Undoubtedly, it was quite a successful and result -oriented visit of PM Shehbaz Sharif who had gone through tirelessly hectic engagements and activities.

The writer can zahidriffat@gmail.com.

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