Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday departed from Islamabad for Jeddah, the first leg of a three-nation tour that also includes Turkiye and Qatar.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said the premier and a high-level delegation are undertaking official visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye from April 15-18. During his visit to the Gulf kingdom, per a separate statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Sharif will meet with top Saudi leaders, including Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman.
The Foreign Office described the visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as “bilateral,” adding the prime minister would meet both countries’ leadership to “discuss ongoing bilateral cooperation as well as regional peace and security.” In Turkiye, it said, he would attend the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum and present Pakistan’s stance at the Leaders’ Panel along with other world leaders.
“Pakistan’s participation in the forum reflects its continued commitment to constructive diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, and meaningful engagement with the international community on issues of global importance,” read the statement, adding the prime minister was expected conduct bilateral meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other key world leaders on the sidelines.
Since Feb. 28, when Israel and the United States initiated joint strikes on targets in Iran, Gulf countries have come under fire of retaliatory strikes. Amidst this, Pakistan has sought to encourage peace, with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar noting Islamabad had played a role in achieving fewer strikes on targets in Saudi Arabia than the rest of the Gulf.
Iran and the U.S. achieved a ceasefire last week and subsequently met for peace talks in Islamabad, though both sides were unable to achieve any consensus for a permanent end to the conflict. However, U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated the talks could resume shortly and hinted they may once again take place in Islamabad.
Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia follows an announcement by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb confirming the kingdom had agreed to deposit $3 billion in deposits to support Pakistan’s external account. Additionally, he said, Riyadh was also extending its existing $5 billion facility for a further three years.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a “Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement” that states that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.