ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to strengthen bilateral security cooperation and signed a memorandum of understanding in the security sector during talks between their interior ministers in Riyadh, Pakistan’s information ministry said on Thursday.
Pakistan has strong ties with the Kingdom and both sides last year signed a mutual defense pact, under which an attack on one would be considered an attack on both.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who arrived in the Kingdom this week, held a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Both officials reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen security cooperation between the two countries, according to the Pakistani information ministry.
"Saudi Arabia, Pakistan sign MoU (memorandum of understanding) in security sector," the Pakistani ministry said.
"Agreement described as a reflection of the strong strategic partnership and deep brotherly relations between the two countries."
The ministry did not share details of the MoU.
The development comes amid prevailing tensions in the Middle East despite an interim United States-Iran peace deal reached last month. US and Iran have exchanged fire in the Gulf, underscoring the difficulty of turning the initial truce into a lasting settlement.
Tehran targeted a commercial ship it said had strayed from its approved route through the Strait of Hormuz, and US Central Command responded by saying it had struck 10 Iranian military targets. Iran then hit US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, drawing condemnation from Gulf countries.
Naqvi also visited Unified Security Operations Center in Riyadh, according to his ministry.
"Naqvi reviewed the center’s various departments, modern technology and the mutual coordination system between security agencies," it said in a message on Naqvi's WhatsApp channel.
