ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Thursday discussed regional security and agreed to enhance bilateral defense cooperation, with a special focus on maritime security, during a high-level military meeting in Rawalpindi, the Pakistan army said.

General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Pakistan’s Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), met Vice Admiral Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Ghuraybi, Chief of the Naval Staff of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

Thursday’s meeting comes amid a regional push by both countries to bolster maritime security cooperation, particularly as geopolitical tensions threaten trade routes through the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf.

“[They] discussed the evolving regional security dynamics both within Middle East & South Asia with particular focus on maritime security,” Pakistan’s military media wing, ISPR, said in a statement.

General Mirza underscored the “historical brotherly relations between Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” and “emphasized mutual resolve for enhancing existing bilateral defense cooperation,” according to the statement.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have shared close military and strategic relations for decades, including joint training programs, military exercises, and high-level defense consultations. Pakistan has historically provided military assistance and training to Saudi forces, and the two countries routinely hold joint military exercises as well as drills in the Arabian and Red Seas.

In recent years, the relationship has broadened beyond defense. Saudi Arabia extended a $3 billion deposit to Pakistan in 2024 to support Islamabad’s balance of payments. It remains Pakistan’s largest source of foreign remittances, with approximately $7.4 billion received in FY2024–25 — about one-quarter of total remittance inflows.

Bilateral trade and investment are also expanding.

In 2023, Pakistan’s exports to Saudi Arabia were valued at $640 million, while imports stood at $4.5 billion, highlighting both opportunity and imbalance. Saudi investments in Pakistan spiked following 2024 meetings in Islamabad that produced $2 billion in memorandums of understanding spanning energy, agriculture, tech, and mining.