Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held talks with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Safa Palace in the holy city of Mecca, as both countries seek to deepen bilateral cooperation and discuss key regional developments.
According to Radio Pakistan, Sharif was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
The meeting focused on strengthening strategic ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, while also addressing developments across the Middle East and other international issues of mutual interest.
Sharif arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday and was received at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah by Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of the Mecca Region.
Before the high-level talks, the Pakistani prime minister performed Umrah in Mecca.
The visit comes as Pakistan continues diplomatic efforts aimed at facilitating dialogue between the United States and Iran.
In June, Qatar joined Pakistan in mediating negotiations between Washington and Tehran, resulting in the signing of a memorandum of understanding on June 18 and the commencement of talks toward a broader agreement.
Although the negotiations later stalled over disagreements concerning maritime security and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, officials from Iran, Oman and the United States have recently indicated that progress is being made toward resolving the outstanding issues.
Also on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Saudi Arabia for a one-day working visit.
Erdogan is expected to hold separate meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Sharif. However, officials had not released further details about the agenda of the discussions at the time of reporting.
The diplomatic engagements come one week after Pakistan joined a Saudi-led Red Sea naval coalition established to enhance maritime security and protect commercial shipping from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels operating from Yemen.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia further strengthened their defence partnership in September last year when both countries signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement, underscoring their expanding military and security cooperation.
