The Saudi Crown Prince received the Pakistani Army Chief in his royal tent in Al Ula
ISLAMABAD, Jan 09 (DNA): Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to
bolster military-to-military and defence cooperation between the two
countries.
The agreement reached during a meeting between Chief of the Army Staff
General Asim Munir with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Saudi Crown Prince received the Pakistani Army Chief in his royal
tent in Al Ula and congratulated him on becoming the Chief of Army Staff of
Pakistan Army. The meeting discussed ways to develop bilateral relations
in addition to issues of mutual interest and both the leaders agreed to
further cement the relationship. Senior Saudi and Pakistani officials
also attended the meeting.
Earlier, General Asim Munir had held talks with Saudi defence minister
on his first official trip to the Gulf kingdom. General Munir had
discussed military cooperation with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid
bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in the capital Riyadh on Thursday last,
according to the Saudi Press Agency.
General Asim Munir, who took charge in November, has followed in the
footsteps of his predecessors in visiting Saudi Arabia – a close defence
and economically – on his maiden overseas trip. He will also visit the
United Arab Emirates during the nearly one-week trip.
General Asim Munir also visited Majid Al-Haram in Makkah where the doors
of the Holy Kaaba were exclusively opened for him. In pictures and video
clips posted on social media on Sunday, the army chief could be seen
walking out of the Holy Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Another
video clip shared on social media showed Gen Asim Munir visiting the
Masjid-e-Nabwi, as Saudi security personnel escorted the military
commander.
The visit, first by Gen Asim as the army chief, comes at a crucial
juncture when Pakistan is facing yet another balance of payments crisis.
The country’s foreign reserves have come down to $5.8 billion, barely
enough to cover one month of import bill. With the IMF programme hanging
in the balance, Pakistan is hoping to secure another financial
assistance package from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to avoid a default.
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