PM Shehbaz, CDF Munir to visit Saudi Arabia from August 6 to 8

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, alongside Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, will undertake a visit to Saudi Arabia from August 6 to 8, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Thursday. In a weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the two will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who is currently in Saudi Arabia after concluding a visit to Jordan. “During the visit, the prime minister will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and discussions will focus on consolidating the Pakistan-Saudi bilateral relationship and exchange views on areas of regional and international developments of mutual interests,” he said. He stressed that the visit marked Pakistan’s “long-standing partnership” with Saudi Arabia, which he said was “anchored in decades of mutual trust, cooperation and brotherhood”. Andrabi noted that while the visit was taking place amid heightened tensions in the Gulf, he said that “it will carry immense significance beyond the immediate crisis and short-term considerations”. He added that the visit will “further strengthen bilateral relations, deepen strategic cooperation, enhance coordination on regional and international issues of mutual interest and also reinforce multilateral cooperation”. Shortly after, an official statement regarding the visit was also issued.

The premier had last visited Saudi Arabia in April, meeting with the kingdom’s top leadership. As the Middle East conflict has expanded across new fronts, Saudi Arabia has unveiled plans for a multinational maritime defence coalition to protect shipping and energy supply routes in the Red Sea region. Fourteen countries, including Pakistan, have voiced support for the coalition. In July, Pakistan also endorsed Saudi Arabia’s air strikes in Iraq as an exercise of its right to self-defence. The remarks came two days after Saudi Arabia and the US carried out coordinated strikes against installations of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Units, accusing elements within the umbrella force of launching attacks on Saudi oil facilities. The remarks followed Pakistan’s earlier warning after Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced a maritime blockade targeting shipping linked to Saudi Arabia. Islamabad had then described attacks on Pakistani maritime interests as a “red line”, warning that any hostile action against Pakistani-flagged vessels or commercial shipping would be treated as an attack on Pakistan. The country also simultaneously reaffirmed its commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security and the uninterrupted flow of lawful maritime commerce through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb. Last year, Islamabad and Riyadh concluded a Strategic Mutual Defence Agree­ment, which became operational earlier this year as Pakistan simultaneously embarked on a diplomatic effort to mediate between Iran and the United States.