Mecca: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday began talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the prime minister of his country, at Al-Safa Palace in the holy city of Mecca.
According to Nam News Network, Sharif was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Field Marshal and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, as reported by Radio Pakistan. Sharif and Prince Mohammed were expected to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and international developments.
Sharif's visit to Saudi Arabia, which began on Thursday, aims to focus on bilateral cooperation and regional developments. He was received at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah by Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, deputy governor of the Mecca region. Earlier in the day, Sharif performed Umrah in Mecca.
The visit occurs as Islamabad continues its mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran. In June, Qatar joined Pakistan in mediating talks between the United States and Iran, which led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding on June 18 and initiated negotiations toward a final agreement. However, these negotiations later faced hurdles over disagreements related to maritime security and the freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Officials from Iran, Oman, and the US have recently indicated progress in resolving these issues.
In a related development, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also arrived in Saudi Arabia for a one-day working visit on Friday. During his visit, Erdogan is expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sharif. However, no further details about the agenda of the meetings were immediately available.
The visit follows Pakistan's recent entry into a new Saudi-led Red Sea naval coalition, which aims to secure the waters from attacks on shipping by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Additionally, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in September last year.
