President reaffirms strong ties with Saudi Arabia

President expresses deep appreciation for the vision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

ISLAMABAD:

President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday reiterated Pakistan's commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in the areas of economy, trade, defence, culture, education and people-to-people contacts.

The president expressed these views while addressing the reception hosted by the Saudi Embassy to celebrate the 94th Anniversary of the National Day of the KSA.

The event was attended by provincial governors, Punjab chief minister, federal ministers, diplomats, dignitaries, and civil and military officers.

While extending heartfelt felicitations to King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud and the people of Saudi Arabia on their National Day, the president highlighted that both brotherly countries enjoyed excellent relations in various fields and had always supported each other during challenging times.

The president expressed deep appreciation for the vision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the significant progress achieved by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

He expressed gratitude to KSA for its continued support to Pakistan as well as hosting nearly 2.7 million Pakistanis, who were making contributions to the Kingdom's social and economic development.

He expressed confidence that the bilateral relations between the two brotherly nations would continue to further strengthen in the years to come.

Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended greetings to the government and people of KSA as the country celebrated its 94th National Day.

The prime minister, in his message, said that under the leadership of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom had emerged as a great country of the 21st century, according to a PM Office press release.

Calling Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 a role model for the world, premier said the Kingdom was playing a leading role in the developing world in business, technology, economy and other fields.