Pakistan, Saudi FMs discuss security

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, held wide-ranging discussions on host of issues related to political and security domains, a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

It said that the two foreign ministers jointly chaired the inaugural session of the Ministerial Committee of Political and Security Pillar of the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Committee (SPSCC), at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Underscoring the longstanding fraternal and strategic ties between the two countries, Foreign Minister Bilawal expressed his resolve to further strengthen cooperation across entire spectrum of bilateral relations to realise the aspirations of the leaderships of the two countries, achieve common objectives and push the bilateral relationship to reach greater horizons.

The two sides shared assessment of the changing regional and global environments and reaffirmed their commitment to continue coordinating positions on all issues of common concern, including Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria.

Bilawal reiterated Pakistan’s firm support for safety and security of Saudi Arabia. He stressed the importance of continued coordination between the two countries on combating terrorist groups that aimed to undermine the security and stability of the regional countries.

The foreign minister also highlighted the need for further strengthening the institutionalised linkages between the two countries to counter threats in the security domain; including cyber security, counterterrorism and its financing, organised crimes, drug trafficking and money laundering.

Bilawal expressed satisfaction on the existing military and defence ties between the two countries and underscored Pakistan’s commitment to further bolster cooperation in this area. The meeting was held under the framework of SPSCC which is co-chaired by the prime ministers of the two countries.