Imran meets Saudi King Salman on peace initiative

RIYADH: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday met Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during a one-day visit to the kingdom’s capital aimed to help ratchet down the tensions between Tehran and Riyadh, Geo News reported.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Khan and King Salman discussed matters of mutual interest.Upon his arrival in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Governor Faisal bin Bandar and Minister of State Musaad bin Mohammed Al Aiban welcomed the Prime Minister at the airport. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and PM’s Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari are accompanying Khan on the trip.

Earlier, the Foreign Office said in a statement: “The Prime Minister will confer with the Saudi leadership in light of his recent consultations with other leaders. Bilateral ties and other regional developments would also form part of the discussions.” It added: “Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are bound in a fraternal relationship marked by mutual trust and understanding, close cooperation and an abiding tradition of supporting each other.”

This will be Prime Minister Khan’s third visit to Saudi Arabia this year. His earlier visits were in May and September. From the Saudi side, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman paid a state visit to Pakistan in February.

On Sunday, the Premier travelled to Iran where he reiterated that Pakistan was ready to act as a facilitator between Iran and Saudi Arabia so that the two countries can sort out differences through dialogue.