ISLAMABAD: United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Arabia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir landed in Islamabad on Wednesday on a one-day official visit to hold talks with Pakistan top civil and military leadership amid the tensed regional situation.
Both the dignitaries were received by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the airport.
During their stay, both ministers are expected to hold meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.
According to a statement issued by the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad a day earlier, the top Saudi diplomat will discuss bilateral matters and the regional situation, including the held Kashmir crisis with the Pakistan leadership.
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) discussed “latest developments in the region” in a telephonic conversation. According to a news agency, the two “reviewed relations between the two countries and the latest developments in the region”.
The visit of State Minister Al-Jubeir comes at a time when tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, India and Pakistan, are at an all-time high following the Indian decision to strip held Kashmir of its special status through a rushed presidential decree.
Saudi Arabia, which is a crucial strategic partner of Pakistan, has deep corporate ties with India which, boasting of its massive population, offers a huge consumption market.
On Aug 12, state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco bought a 20% stake in Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited’s (RIL) flagship chemicals and refining business in a deal valued at $15 billion.
