The Pakistani Embassy held a grand reception to observe its 49th defense day at the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh.
Defense Day is held on Sept. 6 every year to commemorate the Pakistani soldiers who lost their lives defending their country in the 1965 India-Pakistan war.
Khayyam Akbar, chargé d’ affaires at the Pakistani embassy, spoke highly of the Saudi-Pak bilateral ties in the field of defense.
“The cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is commendable and has endured over the decades with the Pakistan Armed Forces training Saudi officers and soldiers to strengthen their defense,” Akbar said.
He added that the Saudi-Pak cooperation has further strengthened since the Kingdom sent Saudi cadets to Pakistan to be trained in the military, navy, and air force recently.
Defense and Army Attaché Brig. Tahir Gulzar Malik expressed the importance of the Defense Day for the Pakistani nation.
“When we commemorate the sacrifices which have been rendered by the armed forces of Pakistan in the defense of our motherland, it revitalizes our spirit because of the assurance they continue to provide us with by safeguarding our country,” he said.
Abbas Sarwar Qureshi, head of Chancery (HOC) at the Pakistani Embassy, commenced the event with a speech about the history of Defense Day.
“Defense Day is celebrated by Pakistanis around the world as Pakistan’s national day of unity. The day is commemorated to give tribute to our soldiers for their courage, and for continually working to safeguard our country as part of one of the best armed forces, notably the eighth largest in the world,” he said.
The guest of honor at the event was Lt. Gen. AbdulRahman Bin Saleh Al-Bunyan, chief of General Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces.
The speech was followed by a cake-cutting ceremony by Gen. Al-Bunyan and Khayyam Akbar, followed by dinner to close the evenings’ celebrations.
A number of generals, ambassadors, defense attachés, naval and air attachés, foreign diplomats, embassy officials, and members of the Pakistani community attended the event.
Pakistan Defense Day celebrated in Riyadh
Pakistan Defense Day celebrated in Riyadh
Saudi Foreign Ministry receives credentials of new Somali and Malian ambassadors
RIYADH: On behalf of the Foreign Minister, Saudi Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs Abdulmajeed Al-Smari received copies of the credentials of the newly appointed ambassadors of Somalia and Mali on Thursday, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on X.
Al-Smari received the credentials of Mohamed Amin Sheikh Osman, the new Somali ambassador to the Kingdom.
Osman succeeded Owais Haji Yusuf, who has served in the role since 2023. Yusuf was recently appointed as the national security adviser to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
The deputy minister also received the credentials of Ibrahima Dahirou Dembele, the newly appointed ambassador of Mali to the Kingdom. Dembele replaces Diall Boubacar Gouro, who has led the Malian mission in Riyadh since 2024.
