Pakistani President Receives Saudi Foreign Minister, High-Level Delegation in Islamabad

President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari receives Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his accompanying delegation in Islamabad. (SPA)
President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari receives Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his accompanying delegation in Islamabad. (SPA)
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Pakistani President Receives Saudi Foreign Minister, High-Level Delegation in Islamabad

President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari receives Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his accompanying delegation in Islamabad. (SPA)
President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari receives Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his accompanying delegation in Islamabad. (SPA)

President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari received on Tuesday Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, who is on an official visit to the country.

Meeting at the Pakistani Presidential Palace in Islamabad, Prince Faisal conveyed the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the Pakistani president and their wishes for the Pakistani people further development and prosperity.

The officials reviewed the strong brotherly relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and ways to boost them in various fields.

They also discussed means to improve economic and development cooperation and push it towards broader horizons to achieve aspirations of more prosperity and development.

Prince Faisal was accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef, Advisor to the Royal Court Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri, Assistant Minister of Investment Ibrahim Al-Mubarak, Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki, as well as a number of senior officials from the ministries of foreign affairs and energy, Public Investment Fund, and the Saudi Fund for Development.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif later received Prince Faisal and the accompanying delegation.

They held talks on bilateral relations and joint cooperation and ways to boost them in all fields. They underlined the need to intensify bilateral and multilateral coordination on issues of common concern.

The officials also discussed economic and development cooperation, as well as international developments.

Prince Faisal also met with his Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Islamabad.

They reviewed the brotherly relations between the two countries and ways to bolster them.  

They discussed the development in the Middle East, especially in the Gaza Strip and its neighboring areas, efforts to reach a ceasefire, and the provision of more urgent humanitarian aid.



Two Houthi Ballistic Missiles Intercepted Over Riyadh, Khamis Mushait

Major General Turki Al-Malki, spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Major General Turki Al-Malki, spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Two Houthi Ballistic Missiles Intercepted Over Riyadh, Khamis Mushait

Major General Turki Al-Malki, spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Major General Turki Al-Malki, spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi militia toward Riyadh and Khamis Mushait, along with two drones heading toward Saudi Arabia's southern region, on Friday.

The coalition also categorically denied claims circulated by the Houthi militia that Saudi Arabia had threatened to target tribal and civilian gatherings, describing them as "false allegations with no basis in fact."

In a statement Thursday, official spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki said the allegations, both in their substance and timing, reflected continued attempts to mislead public opinion, divert attention from the militia's crises and practices, and drag Yemen's tribes into its conflicts.

The statement reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's unwavering commitment to Yemen's security and stability and its determination to preserve the historical and brotherly ties between the two peoples.

It emphasized that this commitment seeks to strengthen security and stability, safeguard the interests of both nations, and prevent Yemeni tribes from being exploited or drawn into conflicts that do not serve the Yemeni people's aspirations for security, peace and development.


King Salman, Crown Prince Offer Condolences to Canadian Prime Minister over Fire Victims at Canadian Forces Base in Alberta

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
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King Salman, Crown Prince Offer Condolences to Canadian Prime Minister over Fire Victims at Canadian Forces Base in Alberta

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud sent a cable of condolences and sympathy to Governor General of Canada Louise Arbour over the victims of a fire at a Canadian Forces base in Alberta.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques extended his deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the governor general, the families of the deceased, and the friendly people of Canada, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

For his part, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has also sent a cable of condolences and sympathy to extend his deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the governor general, the families of the deceased, and the friendly people of Canada, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

The Crown Prince also sent a cable of condolences to Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney.


Saudi, Turkish, Egyptian, and Pakistani Foreign Ministers Discuss Regional Issues in Istanbul Meeting

Saudi, Turkish, Egyptian, and Pakistani Foreign Ministers Discuss Regional Issues in Istanbul Meeting
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Saudi, Turkish, Egyptian, and Pakistani Foreign Ministers Discuss Regional Issues in Istanbul Meeting

Saudi, Turkish, Egyptian, and Pakistani Foreign Ministers Discuss Regional Issues in Istanbul Meeting

The foreign ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt, and Pakistan (R4 Group) met on Friday in Istanbul to discuss regional issues of mutual concern, united in their commitment to contribute to diplomatic efforts and guided by the mutual interest to promote peace and stability in the region and beyond, in line with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter.

The ministers underscored that the Israeli occupation constitutes the fundamental source of instability in the region and beyond, and that Israeli policies create a deep sense of injustice in global public opinion.

They called for the early implementation of the two-state solution in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions. They reiterated their support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their inalienable right to self-determination and to establish an independent, sovereign, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine on the basis of the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions in order to achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East, SPA reported.

The ministers called for an urgent end to the ongoing Israeli violence, as well as attempts to change the legal and historical status of Jerusalem, and to bring an end to further destruction and humanitarian tragedy in Palestine.

They condemned all the previous and current settlement activities in the West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as the settler violence against Palestinians. They underlined the urgent need for uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to and reconstruction in Gaza.

Regarding Yemen, the ministers condemned in the strongest terms the unacceptable escalation by the Houthi militia, which has deepened humanitarian suffering, as well as the continued strikes carried out by the Houthi militia against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly those targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, and the attacks carried out against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb.

They expressed their full solidarity with the Government of Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and called on the Houthi militia to immediately cease all military actions, threats and attacks, and to return to the political process in good faith.

Concerning the military conflict between the US/Israel and Iran as well as around the Strait of Hormuz, the ministers underlined the urgent need to address this conflict only through dialogue and diplomacy as well as to prevent the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructures, including vessels. They expressed support for the Islamabad MoU and welcomed continued diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation and reaffirmed their commitment to a lasting negotiated solution.

The ministers underscored the vital importance of freedom of navigation, permanent maritime safety and security, and safeguarding navigational rights and freedoms.

They noted that disruption of sea lanes threatens the security and prosperity of all, through blocking global supply chains, flows of energy, fertilizer and food, impacting vulnerable populations in the region and beyond, and thus, requires collective efforts by the international community to address these challenges.

The ministers also rejected any measures or restrictions that impair lawful navigation and called for the swift and full resumption of safe, secure and unimpeded passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

The ministers agreed to maintain close consultation and coordination on the afore-mentioned matters.