Saudi Crown Prince hails thaw in Pakistan-india ties
Mohammed Bin Salman assures Imran of Saudi Arabia’s continued support to his vision of transforming Pak into a modern developed and welfare state
Prime Minister Imran Khan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman have expressed satisfaction at existing co-operation in bilateral military and security relations, and agreed to further augment collaboration and to achieve mutually agreed goals.
According to the joint statement issued about the prime minister’s three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia, the two leaders reviewed all facets of bilateral co-operation and discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday.
The Crown Prince welcomed the recent understanding reached between the military authorities of Pakistan and India regarding ceasefire at the Line of Control, which is based on a 2003 understanding between Pakistan and India.
The two sides emphasised the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries, especially Jammu and Kashmir dispute, to ensure peace and stability in the region.
The two sides discussed ways to strengthen and enhance economic and trade relations by exploring areas of investment and opportunities available in light of Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision and Pakistan’s development priorities emanating from a shit from geo-politics to geo-economics.
The discussions also focused on increasing co-operation in other fields, including energy, science, technology, agriculture and culture.
The Saudi Crown Prince assured the prime minister of his country’s continued support to Imran’s vision to transform Pakistan into a modern developed and welfare state.
The two leaders stressed the need for concerted efforts by the Muslim countries to confront extremism and violence, reject sectarianism, and strive to achieve international peace and security.
They also stressed the importance of continuing joint efforts to combat terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations.
They reaffirmed that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group.
The two sides reaffirmed their full support for all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, especially, their right to self-determination and establishment of their independent state with pre-1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN resolutions.
They also expressed their support for political solutions in Syria and Libya, as well as the efforts of the United Nations and its envoys in this regard.
The two sides also stressed the importance of supporting efforts to reach a comprehensive political solution to the conflict in Yemen based on the Gulf Initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue, and the relevant Security Council resolutions.
Discussing the situation in Afghanistan, the Crown Prince acknowledged Pakistan’s facilitative role in the Afghan peace process.
The two sides, underlining that an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political setlement is the only way forward, urged the Afghan parties to realise the historic opportunity for achieving a political setlement in Afghanistan.
They agreed to continue supporting each other at multilateral forums.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud on Sunday has said that the visit of Imran to Saudi Arabia is of great importance.
In an interview with Pakistan Television channel, the Saudi foreign minister said that both the countries are focusing on strengthening their economic corporation, investment and trade. He also lauded the efforts and vision of Imran regarding regional peace and said that Pakistan is playing key role in eliminating Islamophobia.
Faisal Bin Farhan said that Saudi Crown Prince is also willing to pay a visit to Pakistan.
The Saudi foreign minister has called for global dialogue amongst the international community to face the challenge of Islamophobia. He said Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are jointly working on various challenges being faced by the Ummah, including Islamophobia.
Appreciating Pakistan’s role in countering Islamophobia, Faisal said the OIC is an important plaform for Muslim Ummah to take up this issue.