On the evening of May 8, local time, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan signed a number of bilateral cooperation agreements in the western Saudi city of Jeddah, including the establishment of a high-level coordination committee and the strengthening of bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
Pakistan will provide $500 million in funding for infrastructure projects such as reservoirs and power stations, while the Saudi delegation will visit Pakistan within weeks to discuss issues such as the visit of the Saudi crown prince and foreign minister to Pakistan, Foreign Minister Qureshi said after the signing ceremony.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Saudi Arabia on the evening of July 7 local time for a three-day visit. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was personally greeted at the airport. The two sides then held talks on bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, trade, defense and security fields.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have long maintained close ties, with particularly frequent exchanges and cooperation in the military and security fields, but relations have been at a low ebb over the past two years, particularly over Kashmir’s ownership and relations with Turkey and Iran, and Pakistan’s foreign minister has even threatened to withdraw from the Saudi-based Islamic Cooperation Organization in Jeddah.
Local media analysis said Imran Khan’s visit to Saudi Arabia, showing that Pakistan wants to dispel some of the previous contradictions with the Saudis, and the Saudi side’s recent statements also reflect its foreign policy more flexible and pragmatic, so the visit is conducive to promoting relations back to the “normal track.”
