Saudi Arabia newly elected Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud will arrive in Islamabad on Thursday on his maiden visit to the country, the Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) announced.
Al-Saud is slated to hold a meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and call on PM Imran Khan, Dawn news reported.
Earlier on Wednesday, FO issued the statement that said, “This would be his maiden visit to Pakistan, during which the exchange of views would cover bilateral matters and regional issues of mutual interest”.
According to the FO, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy a “deep-rooted and longstanding fraternal relationship” and the two countries are committed to further strengthening bilateral cooperation in all fields.
In October, Al-Saud was appointed as the kingdom’s foreign minister.
Earlier this month, PM Khan paid his visit to Saudi Arabia where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Riyadh during which the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and the overall security situation in the region.
Pakistan has since been making efforts to facilitate dialogue between the two countries. Prime Minister Imran Khan made a stopover in Saudi Arabia on his way to the annual UN General Assembly session in New York in September to meet Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin, Salman.
Tensions have been brewing between Tehran and Riyadh since the missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities last month. Both Saudi Arabia and the US have blamed Iran for the drone strikes, claimed by the Houthi rebels. However, Tehran has strongly rebutted the charges.
Pakistan and certain other countries have been trying to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan traditionally has strong relations with Saudi Arabia but also maintains friendly ties with Iran.