PM Khan, Saudi crown discuss plans to further strengthen ties

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) 14th annual summit in Makkah, the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad said Saturday night.
The two leaders “reviewed bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation...and discussed development in the region,” the embassy said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Pakistan Foreign Office also confirmed that the crown prince had extended a warm welcome to PM Khan during his visit to the Kingdom for the OIC summit, following which the premier had thanked his host for the hospitality extended by Saudi.
Later, the two leaders took stock of the current state of affairs, specifically the political, economic and trade relations.
“They agreed to expedite decisions taken during the visit of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to Pakistan in February 2019, in particular the early implementation of decisions taken during the first meeting of the Supreme Coordination Council,” according to the statement issued by the FO on Saturday.
PM Khan, for his part, also thanked Saudi Arabia’s government for supplying oil to Pakistan against deferred payments. “He added that the brotherly gesture provided timely support to the economy of Pakistan at a crucial juncture,” the statement said, adding that the two “agreed to regularly exchange views on all issues of mutual interest” as well.
Last week, PM Khan’s adviser on finance, Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had said that Saudi Arabia would be activating a deferred payment facility for oil imports to Pakistan starting from July 1, a move that will see Islamabad receive $3.2 billion per year for three years.
Saudi Arabia has also agreed to give Pakistan $3 billion in foreign currency support for a year, with an additional loan in deferred payments for oil imports.