Daily Times

Ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Islamabad Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to choose Saudi Arabia as the destination of his first official visit abroad confirmed that Islamic Republic

Pakistan considers the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as its important strategic all, and it helped furthering the bilateral ties of both countries.

“This visit carries many messages, the most important of which is that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan ties are like

one soul and two bodies which cannot be separated” he said in an interview to Al Arabiya.

Al-Maliki said the first foreign visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan included cooperation in the fields of economics and culture as well as military, and it would be followed with subsequent visits.

He said Khan’s visit to Saudi Arabia had many dimensions, it would help in further strengthening and deepening the bilateral, brotherly, strategic and economic relations, underscoring that Saudi Arabia had always stood with Pakistan in difficult times and crises.

“It is expected that the visit has given firm impression to public opinion in the world that Pakistan considers Saudi Arabia as its preferred country and first ally,” he added.

He stressed that Pakistani Muslims brothers considered the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as center of their direction due to existence of Makkah and Madinah.

He said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was housing more than 2.5 million Pakistanis expatriates who worked in different fields and contributed in further strengthening and deepening of bilateral relations.

Published in Daily Times, September 24^th 2018.