ISLAMABAD: Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki met Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Tuesday to discuss issues of mutual interest, the Saudi Embassy said in a tweet.

The meeting saw an array of issues being discussed, including the historic relations between the two brotherly countries and measures to strengthen cooperation in various fields, the embassy said.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy close bilateral relations with time-tested trade ties and religious affinity providing a strong basis for trust between the two countries.

In recent months, both sides have also agreed to enhance business to business, trade, and cultural ties.

After assuming office in August 2018, Prime Minister Khan chose Saudi Arabia as the first country for his maiden trip and visited the Kingdom once again in October 2018 to participate in the “Davos in the desert” business conference in Riyadh.

During his second visit to the Kingdom in October 2018, both sides signed an MoU for a $6 billion bailout plan for Pakistan.

According to the agreement, the Kingdom pledged $3 billion to Pakistan “as balance-of-payment support,” along with a one-year deferred-payment facility for up to $3 billion of oil imports.

Pakistan in December received the second $1 billion tranche from Saudi Arabia and expects to receive the third and final installment of $1 billion from Riyadh this month under Kingdom’s $3 billion pledge to Pakistan part of its “balance-of-payment support.”

Earlier on Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Defense, Muhammad Bin Abdullah Al-Ayesh, met with Pakistan army’s top commander General Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed matters of mutual interest, regional security, and enhanced bilateral defense cooperation.