Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal held a meeting in Jeddah Saturday and discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues. At the invitation of Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi was on an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, says a press release received from Consulate General of Pakistan, Jeddah.
Both the ministers were of the view that Pak-Saudi relations are much more than strategic as the brotherly people of both the countries are bound in ties of history, religion and culture. The Foreign Minister conveyed the greetings of the President and the Prime Minister to the Custodian of the two holy mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and Prince Saud al-Faisal and stressed the need of frequent high level exchanges. The Saudi Foreign Minister briefed the Pakistani side on the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister to Saudi Arabia.
He remarked that the Indo-Saudi bilateral relations could never be at the cost of Pak-Saudi relations. He also underlined that the recent exchanges in Indo-Saudi relations would also help Pakistan. Both the Foreign Ministers exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan. It was agreed that both brotherly nations would consult each other and move in tandem, on the matters pertaining to Afghanistan.
The Foreign Minister briefed his Saudi counterpart on the recent Pak-US strategic dialogue and also apprised him of the developing political situation in Pakistan. Prince Saud Al-Faisal congratulated the Pakistani leadership and the Foreign Minister on the political achievements of the democratic government; especially the introduction of constitutional reform package through consensus.
Both the Foreign Ministers took an overview of the whole gamut of Pak-Saudi bilateral relations. It was agreed that the meetings of Foreign Secretary level political consultations and the Joint Ministerial Commission would be given priority and would be held soon.
Both the Foreign Ministers also held a one-on-one meeting that lasted for half an hour. Prince Saud Al-Faisal happily accepted the invitation of the Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan. Both the Foreign Ministers directed their staff to work on mutually convenient dates for the visit.