RIYADH, 8 March 2004 — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf wrapped up a brief visit to the Kingdom yesterday after discussing issues including possible defense cooperation with top officials here.
His talks with Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, also covered regional cooperation, the international situation, Indo-Pak relations, and ways of strengthening the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), according to Pakistani Ambassador Abdul Aziz Mirza.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have been pushing proposals to bolster the 57-member OIC.
Mirza said defense cooperation “also figured during the talks. The Kingdom has shown willingness for defense purchases from Pakistan.” Saudi Arabia and Pakistan recently concluded a successful joint naval exercise.
A spokesman of the Pakistani Embassy said Saudi Arabia welcomed the recent agreement on a road map for peace between India and Pakistan. Ways of forging closer cooperation in fighting terrorism and organized crime were also on the agenda, he added.
The two leaders also talked about the growing commercial relations between their countries, the ambassador said. There has been a continuous trade imbalance of more than $450 million in favor of the Kingdom, which Pakistan is unlikely to offset with increased exports in the near future.
Pakistan’s share in total imports in Saudi Arabia is a negligible 0.42 percent. The two countries have set up 26 small and medium-sized joint projects so far. Recently, Saudi Arabia’s Jamjoom Kinnana signed an agreement with a Pakistani company for the assembly of wireless local loop in Pakistan. The Kingdom’s largest billet-making plant in the private sector, the Tuwairqi Group of Companies, has agreed to invest $100 million in Karachi, according to a report published recently.
During his trip to the Kingdom, the president was accompanied by first lady Sehba Musharraf, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmad Leghari and Minister of State for Defense Production Habibullah Waraich.
Earlier on arrival at Riyadh Airbase, the president was received by Crown Prince Abdullah, Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, and other high-ranking officials.
