Accompanied by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Sunday reached Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on a two-day visit. Dammam Governor Prince Saud bin Nayef Al Saud welcomed the prime minister. The prime minister will participate in the concluding ceremony of a Gulf Shield, a 24-country joint military exercise being held along the East Coast of Saudi Arabia. Ambassador Khan Hasham bin Saddique and Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf al-Maliki were also present at the occasion. Gulf Shield-1 military exercise, being participated by 24 countries, is considered as one of the largest military exercise in the region. It aims at raising level of preparedness; enhancing mutual coordination and cooperation among the participating countries, exchange of expertise and security integration. The Prime Minister along with King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and other leadership of the participating countries will witness the exercise. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy close bilateral relations. The equation draws its strength from religious affinities, mutual trust and shared vision about peace and security at regional as well as international level. Published in Daily Times, April 16th 2018.