Islamabad :
Referring to the Prime Minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said in an exclusive media talk in Jeddah that the atmosphere of the meeting between Imran Khan and Prince Muhammad bin Salman was very friendly and warm. One of the agreements was on counter-narcotics. Under the other agreement, Saudi Arabia would provide Pakistan with ”500 million from the Saudi Development Fund, which would be used for infrastructure in Pakistan. Expenditure will be made for development, development of water resources and hydropower development
He said that the situation in the region, including the Afghan peace process, was discussed in detail during the meeting, and the Saudi Foreign Minister took him into confidence regarding his recent access to the region.
Shah Mehmood said that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince, which would lead to the establishment of a high-level liaison council between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. A “structured engagement plan” has been drawn up. According to the Saudi Crown Prince, he will need ten million manpower over the next ten years to implement his vision, most of which will come from Pakistan.
The Foreign Minister said that five important agreements had been signed, one on the establishment of the Coordination Council. Two agreements were reached on prisoner exchanges and crime eradication, one on counter-narcotics, the other on which Saudi Arabia would provide پاکستان 500 million to Pakistan from the Saudi Development Fund. The money will be spent on infrastructure development, water resources development and hydropower development in Pakistan.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi further said that we also discussed the OIC and its future direction. Prime Minister Imran Khan invited Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to visit Pakistan, which he accepted with gratitude. I have also invited my Saudi counterpart to visit Pakistan soon, which he has accepted. After Eid, a delegation of Saudi officials will visit Pakistan to finalize the visit of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and Saudi Foreign Minister.
