Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will depart from Islamabad for Jeddah today on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a post on social media on Wednesday.
The premier will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, the statement said.
According to the office, PM Shehbaz will hold a meeting with top Saudi leadership including Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman.
After his trip to Saudi Arabia, he will visit Turkiye and meet with Turkish leadership, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He will also visit Qatar, according to a statement by the Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi. The trip will last until April 18.
“The prime minister’s visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar will focus on bilateral relations and regional peace and security,” the spokesperson said.
In Turkiye, he will participate in the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum and present Pakistan’s position in the Leaders’ Panel along with world leaders there, the FO added.
“Pakistan’s participation in the forum is an expression of its commitment to constructive diplomacy and global cooperation,” Andrabi said.
The premier will also be accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Tariq Fatemi.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long shared a multifaceted relationship rooted in strategic military cooperation, mutual economic interests, and shared Islamic heritage. These ties have encompassed economic assistance and energy supplies, with Riyadh being a significant source of financial aid and oil for Islamabad.
Earlier today, the finance ministry announced that Saudi Arabia has pledged an additional $3 billion in deposits for Pakistan and has extended its existing $5 billion facility for a further three years.
The ministry further stated that the existing $5 billion Saudi deposit would no longer be subject to the previous annual rollover arrangement and would instead be extended for a longer term.
On April 11, the Saudi defence ministry confirmed that Pakistan has sent a military force and fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to boost security under a joint defence cooperation agreement between the two countries.
In September of last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” in Riyadh, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.
More to follow
