ISLAMABAD — President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi has said he valued the sincere stances and great support that his country received from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and their permanent stand with issues of concern to Islamabad.

Alvi said the Pakistani people fully believed that the security of Saudi Arabia was a responsibility and duty, and Pakistan “will not hesitate to fulfill this responsibility whenever it is called upon.”

Alvi made the remarks during his meeting with Speaker of the Saudi Shoura Council Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, who is currently on an official visit to Pakistan heading a council delegation.

Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser and a number of senior Pakistani government officials were present at the meeting.

"We appreciate the great support that Pakistan receives from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince, and their sincere stances on various issues that concern us, and that the Pakistani people fully believe that the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is our security and responsibility of all of us and we will not fail in performing this duty whenever we are called upon, Pakistan is ready", the President said.

He expressed his gratitude and appreciation for Saudi Arabia's great support to alleviate the crisis that Pakistan has gone through.

During the meeting, the Pakistani President praised the great developmental transformations that the Kingdom was witnessing in light of the Saudi Vision 2030, which is supervised by the Crown Prince.

He said the Crown Prince had a vision, thought and characteristics that read the future.

Alvi expressed his admiration for the establishment of the city of NEOM and the unique projects included in the vision, and wished the Kingdom more prosperity, growth and development.

The Pakistani President pointed to the great role being played by the Kingdom in achieving security and stability for the Afghan people and finding solutions to address the situation in Afghanistan.

He stressed that the security of Afghanistan was crucial to the security of the region and the world as a whole, and praised the great efforts made by the Crown Prince, which resulted in holding the Extraordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers hosted by Pakistan to discuss the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani President stressed the importance of the bilateral work and coordination at the parliamentary level between the Shoura Council and the Pakistani Parliament, noting that this visit would contribute to achieving the common interests of the two brotherly countries.

For his part, the Speaker of the Shoura Council praised the distinguished relations and solid ties that unite the Kingdom and Pakistan at all levels, stressing that this relationship enjoys the support of the leaderships of the two countries.

The Speaker of the Shoura Council conveyed to the Pakistani President the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Crown Prince.

The Speaker of the Shura Council pointed to the growing parliamentary cooperation between the Shoura Council and the Pakistani Parliament, and the results of the discussions he held with the Speaker of the National Assembly in the Pakistani Parliament. He said that these meetings would contribute to deepening cooperation between the two countries to achieve the interests and welfare of the two brotherly countries and peoples.

During the meeting, they discussed a number of issues of common interest between the Kingdom and Pakistan, and reviewed aspects of economic, investment and parliamentary cooperation, and ways to enhance them in a way that contributes to the consolidation of the Saudi-Pakistani partnership.

The meeting was attended by a number of senior officials. — SPA