PM, Saudi Crown Prince discuss bilateral, regional issues

Prime Minister Imran Khan met Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman and discussed bilateral and regional matters of interest. Both the leaders agreed to remain engaged and consult closely to take forward the premier's initiative to ensure peace and security in the region.

BR reporter from Islamabad adds:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday reached Saudi Arabia on a day-long visit to hold talks with Saudi leadership on bilateral relations and regional situation as part of "regular exchanges" between the leadership of the two countries.

After a brief stopover in Medina, the Prime Minister, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, was greeted by Riyadh Governor Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud and Pakistan's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz, besides officials of Saudi protocol and officers of Pakistan Consulate upon reaching Riyadh.

According to a Foreign Office press release, the consultations will cover bilateral matters and recent developments in the regional context.

The visit to Saudi Arabia comes after Saudi leadership reportedly expressed its 'displeasure' over Prime Minister Khan's upcoming visit to Malaysia to attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit, which the Saudis consider as a parallel forum to the OIC.

To be held from December 18-20, the Kuala Lumpur Summit is the initiative of Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in which various leaders including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Iranian President Hasan Rouhani have been invited.

The Foreign Office has earlier announced that on the invitation of Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister Imran Khan will also be participating in the KL Summit, which is due to take place in Kuala Lumpur from December 18-20, 2019.

The Prime Minister Khan's Saudi visit will be followed by his trip to Bahrain to participate in its national day celebrations and hold meetings with prime minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The Prime Minister will also be conferred Bahrain's highest civilian award, the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance, during his visit to the kingdom.

The Prime Minister will also visit Geneva, Switzerland, on December 17-18, 2019 to co-chair a first-ever Global Refugee Forum (GRF) along with several other heads of state, the Foreign Office said.

The Global Refugee Forum - the first major meeting on refugees of the 21st century - will be jointly hosted by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and the government of Switzerland.