Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi met his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Niamey on Friday.
During the meeting, views were exchanged on bilateral relations, regional issues, cooperation at multilateral forums, and the Covid-19 situation, a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The foreign minister extended felicitations to the Saudi leadership on successful convening of the G-20 Summit. He underscored that the relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was deep-rooted and long-standing.
The two sides agreed on further deepening bilateral trade and economic cooperation including in the field of energy. They discussed the OIC’s importance as the vital platform for Muslim Ummah and its role in the advancement of the Kashmir cause.
Foreign Minister Qureshi apprised his Saudi counterpart of the continuing grave situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). He thanked the Saudi foreign minister for the Kingdom’s principled and steadfast support for the just cause of Kashmir.
Prince Faisal underscored the importance that Saudi Arabia attached to its fraternal and strategic relationship with Pakistan. He conveyed Saudi Arabia’s appreciation for the role played by Pakistan in maintaining regional peace and stability. The two sides agreed to have high-level exchanges to promote bilateral cooperation in relevant fields.
This was the first face to face meeting between the two foreign ministers since Qureshi in August expressed Pakistan’s frustration over lack of support from certain OIC countries on the longstanding Kashmir dispute. Relationship between the two countries is apparently tense given their divergence of views on certain regional issues. These fears were confirmed by the Pakistani move to return $1 billion to Saudi Arabia ahead of schedule while Riyadh is also believed to have refused to roll over the remaining $2 billion.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday expressed Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to the Afghan peace process and assured to continue facilitating the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process. In a separate meeting with Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar on sidelines of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Niger’s capital Niamey, Qureshi however warned of spoilers who did not wish to see return of peace in the region. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on Afghan peace process and measures to further strengthen Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations.
