Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrives in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD, 27 July: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud arrived in Islamabad today for a day-long visit at the invitation of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat was received by Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tahir Ashrafi at the Nur Khan Air Base.

The Foreign Office said that Prince Faisal is leading a delegation comprising senior officials of the Saudi government.

“During the visit, the two foreign ministers will exchange views on the entire gamut of bilateral relations and regional and international issues. The Saudi Foreign Minister will call on other dignitaries as well during the visit,” the Foreign Office(FO) had said about the visit.

The FO said that the visit holds “special significance in the backdrop of the recent visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia in May 2021”.

Pakistan hopes that the visit will provide a timely opportunity to both countries to review the progress in bilateral cooperation.

FO statement about Pak-Saudi relation

“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long-standing and historic fraternal relations, rooted deep in common faith, shared history and mutual support. The relationship is marked by close cooperation in all fields and mutual collaboration on regional and international issues,” the FO said.

The FO hopes that Prince Faisal’s visit will reinforce the positive momentum in high-level exchanges and the deepening of bilateral cooperation in diverse fields.

Read this: Pak-Saudi flights to resume soon: Ambassador

Pakistan’s Ambassador in Riyadh Lt Gen (retd) Bilal Akbar said on Wednesday that Pakistan-Saudi Arabia flights would reopen soon to bring Pakistani workers back to the Kingdom. He said the embassy is in contact with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for resumption of flights. The ambassador further said applications of about 7,000 illegal Pakistani immigrants have been submitted to Saudi authorities for their repatriation. Once these people are cleared, more applications will be submitted, he added.