ISLAMABAD: Pakistani naval chief Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi arrived in Riyadh on Monday night on his first official visit to Saudi Arabia.

He will remain in the kingdom “from 18-23 January 2021 on special invitation of Commander Royal Saudi Naval Forces,” the Pakistani navy said in a statement. “Upon arrival at Riyadh, he was received by Raja Ali Ejaz, Ambassador of Pakistan to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and high ranking military officers of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.”

The Pakistani naval chief will meet top government and senior military leaders of the kingdom during his visit which is “expected to further enhance the brotherly relationship between two countries in general and navies in specific.”

The Pakistani and Saudi navies have enjoyed close relations for decades. The Pakistani navy provided training to Saudi officers and sailors during the Saudi navy’s formative years in the seventies and eighties while Saudi Arabia has given the Pakistan navy free-of-cost fuel on many occasions.