Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman held official talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh on Wednesday. Upon arrival at Al-Yamamah Palace, Sharif was accorded an official reception.

The Pakistani prime minister and his accompanying delegation arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday afternoon for a state visit. His plane was escorted by F-15 fighter jets from the Royal Saudi Air Force after entering the Kingdom's airspace. As soon as the premier’s plane entered Saudi airspace, “Saudi Air Force jets escorted and protected it”, Pakistan's state-run PTV News reported. “This was a gesture of brotherly love and respect by the Government of Saudi Arabia. This honor in the Muslim world is the result of Allah’s blessings, Shehbaz Sharif’s diplomatic skills, and the unparalleled achievements of our Armed Forces,” it said.

Sharif was received at King Khalid International Airport by Riyadh Deputy Emir Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman; Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid Al-Falih; Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Al-Maliki; Pakistani Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmed Farooq; and a number of senior officials.

Shehbaz Sharif's visit to Riyadh comes two days after his meeting with the Crown Prince in the Qatari capital, Doha, on the sidelines of the emergency Arab-Islamic summit. During the meeting, they discussed prospects for relations between the two countries and reviewed developments in the region.

The Pakistani Foreign Office said in a statement that PM Sharif undertook the visit at the invitation of the Saudi Crown Prince. It said that both leaders were expected to exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest. “The visit is expected to result in the formalization of cooperation in diverse fields, reflecting the shared commitment of both sides to further enhance and deepen their longstanding fraternal ties,” it added.

Highlighting the “historic relationship” between the countries, the statement said that the visit will “provide an important opportunity to the two leaders to consolidate this unique partnership, while exploring new avenues of collaboration, for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries.”

Sharif was accompanied by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Environment Minister Musadik Malik and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi,