Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have “unchanged fraternal relations”, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office said on Thursday. This denied there were any rifts between the two nations.
Noting that the two countries enjoy unique relations, rooted in religion, culture, and social ties, spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said: “Prime Minister Imran Khan’s remarks and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia attest to the unchanged fraternal relations and close contact between the two countries.”
Chaudhri in his weekly press briefing said Islamabad and Riyadh have strong economic, political, security and military cooperation at all levels.
Citing the example of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Islamabad last year and PM Imran’s visit to Saudi Arabia, he said they cemented relations between the two countries and provided new opportunities of cooperation in trade, investment, and other fields.
The spokesperson added that Pakistan appreciates the Kingdom’s role in the Contact Group of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Jammu and Kashmir.
Responding to a question about the normalisation of relations between UAE and Israel, the spokesperson said there was no change in Pakistan’s position on the Palestine-Israel issue.
“Pakistan stands by the commitment realizing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination for a just, comprehensive and long-lasting peace.
“Pakistan has consistently supported a two-state solution per UNSC and OIC resolutions as well as international law with pre-1967 borders and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of Palestine,” he added. Speaking of the recent developments and how Pakistan planned to tackle it, Chaudhri said Pakistan’s approach would be guided by “our evaluation of how Palestinians’ rights and aspirations are upheld and how regional, peace and security and stability are preserved”.
