Apr 16 , 2015
News
Shahbaz in Saudi Arabia to assure Pakistan’s support on Yemen crisis
* Delegation tells Saudi FM Islamabad will stand shoulder to shoulder with Riyadh in time of need and will defend it whenever there is a threat to its sovereignty
APPJEDDAH: A high-level delegation led by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif reached Jeddah on Wednesday to meet Saudi leadership and give assurance that Pakistan will stand shoulder to shoulder with Saudi Arabia in the ongoing Yemen crisis.
Advisor to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry are also part of the delegation that called on Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal to discuss issues relating to bilateral interests including the ongoing crisis in Yemen.
The purpose of this visit is to give assurances to Saudi leadership that Pakistan will support Saudi Arabia in the time of need.
The Pakistani delegation assured the Saudi foreign minister that Pakistan will stand shoulder to should with KSA in this critical time and will defend it whenever there is a threat to its sovereignty.
The delegation briefed the Saudi leadership about joint resolution of parliament and policy statement by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The Saudi minister was told that joint resolution of Pakistan’s parliament was misinterpreted that lead to misunderstanding between the two countries. The delegation said that the KSA is time-tested friend of Pakistan which has always stood by it. “Pakistani nation holds people and government of Saudi Arabia in high esteem and will always stand by it in the time of need,” it added.
After the meetings in Jeddah, the delegation left for Riyadh where it is expected to meet Saudi ministers and Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz today.
In Islamabad, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said that Pakistan would stand by Saudi Arabia in the hour of trial.
Talking to media persons after attending an inter-faith peace conference here, the minister said that Pakistan has been saying from the day one that Saudi Arabia was a brotherly country and Pakistan would not lag behind if there is any threat to Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity.
The minister said that Pakistan fully supports the United Nations Security Council’s resolution on Yemen and that Islamabad respects the decision of the international community.
To a question about Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia, he said that Islamabad has very close relations with Riyadh and exchange of high-level visits are a matter of routine.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk