Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan’s new army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, met to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday.
Munir began his first official visit to Saudi Arabia since his appointment to the post last week. During his weeklong visit to the Gulf region, he will also travel to the United Arab Emirates to interact with its top civilian and military leadership.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share cordial ties with one another. The two countries enjoy shared values based on faith, culture and cooperation in the fields of defense, economy, trade and other sectors. Over 2.5 million Pakistanis who live and work in the kingdom serve as a massive source of remittances for the South Asian country as well.
The Saudi crown prince welcomed Munir at the oasis city of AlUla in Saudi Arabia. The reception was attended by senior Saudi officials such as Prince Khaled bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the minister of defense, and national security adviser, Dr. Musaed bin Muhammad Al-Aiban, the SPA said.
The army chief was accompanied by senior military leaders at the reception.
“During the reception, they reviewed bilateral relations and opportunities for their development, in addition to a number of issues of common concern,” SPA stated.3
The army chief’s visit to the kingdom takes place as Pakistan faces an unprecedented economic crisis, which has caused its reserves to fall to less than $6 billion, an eight-year low. The country is also grappling with the aftermath of devastating floods that have inflicted estimated losses of over $30 billion.
