Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and assured him Pakistan's full "solidarity and support", amid escalation in West Asia and Iranian strikes on Gulf states.
The two leaders met on Thursday in Jeddah after PM Shehbaz dashed to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the deteriorating situation in West Asia following US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Prime Minister Shehbaz held a restricted meeting with Crown Prince Mohammad in Jeddah during which he "expressed Pakistan's full solidarity and support" for Saudi Arabia in these challenging times, said a statement by the PM Office after the meeting.
Both leaders had an in-depth exchange of views on the recent developments in the region and agreed to work together for regional peace and stability.
“The Prime Minister assured his royal host that Pakistan would always stand firmly with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and strive for their mutual desire for peace in the region,” it said.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the two sides reviewed the close bilateral relations and ways to strengthen and develop them in various fields during the meeting.
"They also discussed regional developments, particularly the repercussions of the ongoing military escalation on the security and stability of the region and the world, and coordinated efforts in this regard," it said.
Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff & Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir were also present.
The visit comes at a time when Pakistan's role has come under scrutiny due to its defence agreement with the kingdom.
The two countries signed a mutual defence pact in September last year, with the commitment to come to the defence of each other in case of attack by a third country. The agreement was signed when Israel had attacked Hamas leaders in Qatar.
However, the situation changed after the US and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran, which hit back and is pounding targets in the Gulf. There was a growing unease about whether Pakistan would fulfil its obligation towards Saudi Arabia, given its good ties and geographical proximity to Iran.
Two days ago, PM's Spokesperson for Foreign Media Mosharraf Zaidi had said that Pakistan would be there for Saudi Arabia “before it is needed.”
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also conveyed his respectful regards and best wishes to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and expressed profound appreciation for the Kingdom's longstanding support for Pakistan.
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Earlier, the Prime Minister's Office had said Sharif was undertaking the visit at the invitation of the Saudi crown prince.
Sharif's visit was the second high-level visit to Saudi Arabia after Munir visited it on March 7 and met Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman.
The two “discussed the gravity of the security situation resulting from Iranian drone and missile attacks on the Kingdom,” the military's media affairs wing said.
They also discussed joint measures needed to halt such attacks within the framework of the “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year.
Apart from the visit, Foreign Minister Dar talked to his Saudi counterpart on more than one occasion.
Diplomatic sources said that Pakistan has been feverishly working for a peaceful solution to the West Asia conflict and PM Shehbaz and DPM Dar have talked to several leaders of the Gulf and other Muslim countries. The prime minister talked to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday.
Earlier, Dar told the media last week that he urged his Iranian counterpart during a telephonic conversation not to attack Saudi Arabia.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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