ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday held a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of a Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh, Sharif’s office said.
This is Sharif’s second meeting with the Saudi crown prince since last month, when the two leaders met during an emergency Arab–Islamic Summit in Qatar to discuss Israeli strikes on Doha and the situation in Gaza.
Monday’s meeting between Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed was attended by senior cabinet members from both countries as well as Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to Sharif’s office.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh in a cordial atmosphere,” Sharif’s office said, adding: “Matters of mutual interest came under discussion in the meeting.”
It said a detailed joint statement relating to discussions on trade, investment and other affairs concerning the two brotherly countries will be issued shortly.
Sharif arrived in Riyadh along with a high-level delegation on Monday evening to attend the FII summit as Islamabad seeks to increase international trade and investment cooperation with the Kingdom.
This year’s summit, being held on Oct. 27–30, is themed as ‘The Key to Prosperity: Unlocking New Frontiers of Growth’ and will address global challenges and opportunities, focusing on key topics such as innovation, sustainability, economic inclusion and geopolitical shifts.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will represent Pakistan at the Future Investment Initiative being held in Riyadh,” Sharif’s office said.
“The prime minister will also hold meetings with world leaders and heads of international organizations who have come to participate in the Future Investment Initiative.”
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long enjoyed close ties but have sought to broaden cooperation in recent years, including a defense pact signed in Riyadh during the prime minister’s visit on Sept. 18 and 34 memorandums of understanding worth $2.8 billion across multiple sectors last year.
The two nations share longstanding ties rooted in faith, mutual respect and strategic cooperation, with Riyadh remaining a key political and economic partner of Islamabad. The Kingdom also hosts over 2.5 million Pakistani expatriates, the largest source of remittances for Pakistan’s $407 billion economy.
