FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari arrives in Riyadh for two-day visit

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on a two-day official visit to the kingdom.

During the visit, he will meet his Saudi counterpart and discuss important developments in Saudi-Pak relations. The foreign minister will co-chair the Joint Sub-Committee meeting of Political and Security pillar of the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council alongside his Saudi counterpart. He will hold a meeting with Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council and will also have interaction with the local media and Saudi dignitaries.

The foreign minister’s visit will deepen Pakistan’s engagement with Saudi Arabia for enhancing mutually-beneficial cooperation between the two brotherly countries. Earlier in a meeting on the sidelines of the Conference of Parties (COP27) summit in Egypt’s resort city of Sharam El-Sheikh, the foreign minister and his French counterpart Catherine Colona expressed a desire to collaborate on addressing the challenges of climate change. The two foreign ministers agreed to strengthen ties in diverse fields, the FO said.

Bilawal lauded the efforts of French President Emanuel Macron as part of the global campaign to mitigate the effects of climate change. He thanked the government of France for extending relief assistance to the flood victims of Pakistan.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar was present at the meeting. Separately, Foreign Minister Bilawal and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on the regional and international issues of mutual interest. They met on the sidelines of COP27 World Leaders Summit, Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release.

During the meeting, they also discussed the way forward for enhanced bilateral engagement to strengthen cooperation in political, trade, economic, cultural and commercial domains. Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman was also present in the meeting.