Imran Khan leaves for Saudi Arabia

The Pakistan PM left for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday amid his efforts to ease tensions between Riyadh and Tehran

ISLAMABAD — Prime minister Imran Khan reached Saudi Arabia on Tuesday amid his efforts to ease tensions between Riyadh and Iran after a recent attack on the kingdom’s oil industry, a government statement said.

Khan’s visit comes after travelling on Sunday to Iran, where he met President Hassan Rouhani and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

This would be Prime Minister Imran’s third visit to Saudi Arabia this year. Earlier, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman paid a state visit to Pakistan in February. According to the Foreign Office, the prime minister will confer with the Saudi leadership in the light of his recent consultations with other leaders.

Bilateral ties and other regional developments will also be part of the discussions, the

Dawn News reported.

The statement further noted Pakistan’s strong ties with Saudi Arabia marked by mutual trust, understanding, close cooperation and an abiding tradition of supporting each other.

Khan reiterated on his visit to Iran that Pakistan was ready to act as a facilitator between Tehran and Riyadh, to sort out their differences through dialogue.

The prime minister had said that the “issue is a complex one but it is possible to sort out differences through dialogue”.

He made it clear that Pakistan’s role would be of a facilitator and not a mediator, stressing that it was imperative for everyone not to allow any conflict to take place in the region.—

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are bound in a fraternal relationship marked by mutual trust and understanding, close cooperation, and an abiding tradition of supporting each other Foreign Ministry