COAS meets Saudi crown prince, discusses defence cooperation

• COAS, MBS engage in comprehensive discussion on mutual issues.
• Army chief lauds Prince Salman’s “steadfast support” for Pakistan.
• Gen Munir also meets kingdom’s Defence Minister Prince Khalid. 

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Wednesday met Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and discussed bilateral issues, including defence and security cooperation, the military's media wing said in a statement.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Saudi crown prince extended a warm welcome to the army chief — who is currently on an official visit to Saudi Arabia — upon his arrival at the Royal Palace.

Both dignitaries engaged in a “comprehensive discussion on a range of issues of mutual interest, including regional peace, defence and security cooperation, and strategies for enhancing bilateral relations.”

During the meeting, COAS Munir expressed his gratitude to the Saudi crown prince for his “steadfast support” for Pakistan and acknowledged his significant role in fostering peace and stability across the region.

Separately, he also met Prince Khalid Bin Salman, Defence Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They vowed to further strengthen cooperation in the domain of defence and security.

Meetings were also held with Engineer Talal Abdullah Al-Otaibi, Assistant Minister of Defence; Air Chief Marshal Fayyadh Bin Hamed Bin Raqeeb’ Al Ruwaili, Chief of General Staff of Royal Saudi Armed Forces and Lieutenant General Fahad bin Saud Al-Johani, Chief of Royal Saudi Land Forces.

The meeting came days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the kingdom, where he attended the eighth session of the Future Investment Initiative (FII).

The premier also met Mohammed bin Salman as both leaders took stock of the ongoing bilateral engagements, especially in follow-up to the decisions taken in previous high-level meetings held in Makkah and Riyadh in April.

During PM’s visit, the kingdom announced adding another $600 million to its recently pledged $2.2 billion investment in Pakistan.

Last month, Islamabad and Riyadh inked several memorandums of understanding (MoUs), worth over $2 billion, to boost bilateral trade and investment during the Islamabad visit of a Saudi delegation, headed by Minister for Investment Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih.