ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday directed Pakistan's ambassador designate to Riyadh, Ahmed Farooq, to resolve the problems of Pakistani expats in Saudi Arabia on a “priority basis.”

Saudi Arabia is home to over two million Pakistanis and the largest contributor of remittance inflows to the South Asian nation.

Saudi authorities have also helped Pakistan deal with an ongoing economic crisis by offering a deferred oil payment facility and depositing about $3 billion in the central bank to help shore up forex reserves.

“Pakistanis living all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, are our asset,” the foreign ministry said in a statement quoting Bhutto-Zardari as saying in a meeting with Farooq as he directed him to resolve the problems of Pakistani expats in Saudi Arabia on a “priority basis.”

“The Foreign Minister expressed his best wishes to Ahmed Farooq regarding his new responsibilities,” the statement said.

Last week, in a meeting with Farooq, Pakistani commerce minister Syed Naveed Qamar advised him to use “aggressive marketing” in the fields of agriculture and technology to help expand Pakistani exports to Saudi Arabia.

Pakistani exports to the kingdom mainly comprise food products, textiles, and engineering goods. According to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade, Pakistan’s exports to Saudi Arabia stood at $402.81 million in 2021. 

Exports to Saudi Arabia have seen a consistent increase from $336.9 million in 2017 to $342.08 million in 2019 and $446.18 million in 2020.