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Saudi Arabia and longtime allies Pakistan signed several agreements on Saturday and promised to rekindle ties caused by disagreements over months over the Kashmir conflict policy.
During his seventh visit to the rich kingdom since the 2018 elections, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was given a warm welcome by Saudi officials in the western coastal city of Jeddah.
Saudi de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman greeted him at the airport at the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah before conducting talks with Saudi officials.
“The two brothers reaffirmed the depth of relations between the countries and stressed the importance of expanding and increasing the aspects of bilateral cooperation and coordination,” a document from Saudi Arabia says.
Even though the kingdom was the first foreign country after Khan took office, Riyadh appeared frustrated with Islamabad last year.
In a sharp statement in August, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called on the Saudi-based Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to convene a summit in Kashmir.
The call created scholarships in Riyadh. He was warned that he was preparing to call a session outside the protection of the Pakistan OIC.
Saudi Arabia is proud to be the patron saint of Islam’s holy sites and is particularly sensitive to any conduct that undermines the leadership of the 57-member pan-Islamic body.
Although the kingdom has helped Pakistan with billions of dollars in aid and loans in recent years, observers have said it will not be disturbed by India, a key business partner and importer of Saudi oil.
The kingdom recalled a $ 3 billion loan to withdraw money from Pakistan, and the $ 1 billion oil credit facility aimed at Islamabad has not been renovated, a diplomatic source told AFP in September.
Earlier, Pakistan rejected calls to send ground troops to support a Saudi-led military campaign against Yemeni rebels. It seems that Khan’s visit has restored cooperation between the two countries, which are engaged in a “war on terror”, which requires effective intelligence sharing.
“Both sides stressed the need for a united effort by the Islamic world to combat extreme violence and reject sectarianism,” the Saudi Arabian document says.
‘Deepen and diversify’
The official Saudi Press Agency said the two sides have signed agreements to deal with the treatment of criminals and crimes. They also agreed on two memoranda of understanding on the fight against drug trafficking and the financing of energy, water and infrastructure projects.
The two countries also agreed to create a Supreme Coordinating Council for Saudi Pakistan.
“At the meeting, it was agreed to further strengthen, deepen and diversify existing political, economic, trade, defense and security ties,” the Pakistani statement said.
“The conversations were extraordinarily kind and committed to strengthening the upward trajectory in the bilateral relationship,” he added.
Pakistan has close ties to Saudi Arabia, has a population of more than 2.5 million and works in the kingdom, but maintains close ties with Iran and represents Tehran’s consular interests in the United States.
For decades, Pakistan has tried to balance its strong relationship with Saudi Arabia and its ties with Iran, with which it has a border of about 1,000 km (625 miles).
In 2019, Khan traveled between Saudi Arabia and Iran in an attempt to allay the frustrations between rival powers.
The visit to Jeddah will come as a secret dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Iraq, which was the first significant attempt to ease tensions since regional powers severed ties in 2016 after Iranian protesters angered the kingdom by executing a Shiite cleric after attacking Saudi diplomatic missions.
“The visit of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia is an important milestone in bilateral relations,” Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said on Saturday.
“The kingdom is eager to further strengthen relations between the fraternal countries and enable wider economic cooperation.”
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