City
Epaper

Imran's upcoming Saudi visit to reassure bilateral ties

By IANS | Published: December 13, 2019 8:16 AM

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Saudi Arabia on Saturday to reassure the Kingdoms leadership that ties between the two nations remain firm despite Islamabads engagement with other Muslim countries, it was reported on Friday.

Open in App

The visit, an Arab source disclosed, has been recently planned after signals from Riyadh that it was not happy with Khan's decision to attend a Kuala Lumpur summit from December 18-20, Dawn news reported.

The Kuala Lumpur summit is the brainchild of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Other leaders participating in the summit are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Iranian President Hasan Rouhani.

The plan for the summit was finalised during a trilateral meeting involving Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia in September in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

Meanwhile, Khan earlier dispatched Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to mollify Riyadh, where he met his counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the two foreign ministers besides talking on the bilateral agenda also "discussed the latest developments at regional and international arenas".

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal, at his weekly briefing on Thursday, said: "High-level political exchanges between the two countries are the hallmark of this brotherly bilateral relationship... The Prime Minister has undertaken at least three visits to Saudi Arabia since May this year."

Khan had over the past few months attempted to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

However, much like past efforts in this regard, the latest initiative too did not get much success.

Faisal, responding to a question on the mediation project, said: "We continue to make sincere efforts."

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: khanRiyadhSaudi ArabiaMalaysiapakistan
Open in App

Related Stories

NationalRahul Gandhi Would Win by Huge Margin if He Contested Elections in Pakistan, Says Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma (Watch Video)

National200 Members of Sindhis Community From Pakistan to Pay Obeisance to Ram Lalla in Ayodhya Today

NationalPM Narendra Modi Launches Scatching Attack on Congress, Says Its Partnership With Pakistan Has Been Exposed

CricketPakistan Names Haris Rauf and Hassan Ali in Squad for T20I Series Against Ireland and England

NationalJammu and Kashmir: Pakistani Intruder Gunned Down by BSF Near International Border in Samba

International Realted Stories

InternationalPak forms new cyber crime agency that experts reckon will also target Imran Khan supporters

InternationalHamas, Egyptian mediators reach consensus on Gaza ceasefire issues: Egyptian media

InternationalIsrael carries out air strikes on rocket launching site in Gaza Strip

InternationalTanzania on alert as Cyclone Hidaya approaches coastline

InternationalCJI Chandrachud flags economic disparity, family breakdowns as drivers of juvenile delinquency