​King Salman, Pakistan PM Sharif agree to further enhance cooperation

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Thursday 05 Mar 2015 - 14:07 Makkah mean time-14-5-1436 Riyadh (IINA) - Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif in Riyadh on Wednesday. The leaders discussed bilateral ties and cooperation on regional and international issues, the Saudi Press Agency reported. “During the talks, they stressed depth of strong bilateral relations between the two friendly countries in addition to importance of enhancing aspects of joint cooperation in all fields,” SPA reported. “They also discussed the latest developments at regional and international arenas,” the agency added. Sharif highlighted investment opportunities in Pakistan for Saudi entrepreneurs in energy and agriculture. The official delegation accompanying the visiting premier included the Minister of Finance Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Chief Minister of Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, Irfan Siddiqui, special adviser to the premier, and a number of senior officials. King Salman hosted a lunch in honor of the visiting premier at his palace. Saudi Arabia is home to more than 1.7 million Pakistanis whose remittances contribute substantially to the Pakistan economy. The annual trade volume between the two countries exceeds SR16.8 billion. Some 160,000 Haj pilgrims and more than 200,000 Umrah pilgrims arrive here every year. Sharif arrived in Jeddah later from where he is expected to go for Umrah on Thursday and visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah before his departure to Islamabad on Friday after Juma prayer. Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia comes two days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Riyadh and held talks with the King Salman. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had also visited the monarch last week. Top officials from neighboring nations Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have already visited King Salman since mid-February. HA/IINA