Pakistan, Saudi Arabia reiterate bilateral support, agree to work on regional issues

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to work on a range of issues including violence in Palestine and the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir issue, along with facilitating security and stability in each others' regions.

Following delegation-level talks at the Foreign Office, Saudi Arabia Foreign Affairs Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi addressed a joint presser.

Welcoming Prince Faisal to Pakistan, FM Qureshi said both countries have fraternal and historic ties. "At the bilateral front, we are very comfortable with the way the things are moving and we can only improve on what we have," Qureshi said.

Qureshi said they have decided that they will have a focal person each in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia so that both countries have a "structured and institutionalised" way of looking at bilateral relations.

Qureshi thanked the Saudi FM for the Kingdom's "unwavering" support given to Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force and on Kashmir.

"The support received from Saudi Arabia has been phenomenal," Qureshi added.

The foreign minister continued that they also held a discussion on the evolving situation in Afghanistan and he was happy to share that their approach is the same.

Saudi foreign minister to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday

In his address, Prince Faisal said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had a relationship that is founded in brotherhood and goes back many decades. Both have supported each other in many areas and will continue to do so, the Saudi FM said.

He said he hopes that the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council (SP-SCC) will turn out to be an important milestone in taking the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to new levels and institutionalising it.

While talking about the coronavirus pandemic, the Saudi FM said that Pakistan had done "exceptionally well" in facing the pandemic.

He also shared that 1.7 million Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia have received vaccines against the novel virus. Prince Faisal added that his government valued the contribution of the Pakistani community to Saudi Arabia's economy.