{"id":124330,"date":"2026-04-15T11:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T06:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?p=124330"},"modified":"2026-04-15T11:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T06:08:13","slug":"pm-shehbaz-to-depart-today-on-official-visits-to-saudi-arabia-turkiye-and-qatar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124330\/","title":{"rendered":"PM Shehbaz to depart today on official visits to Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Qatar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will depart from Islamabad for Jeddah today on official visits to Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Qatar, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPrime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake official visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye from 15\u201318 April,\u201d the FO said in a statement posted to social media platform X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The premier will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, according to a statement by the Prime Minister\u2019s Office (PMO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the PMO, PM Shehbaz will hold a meeting with top Saudi leadership including Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After his trip to Saudi Arabia, he will visit Turkiye and meet with Turkish leadership, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He will also visit Qatar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FO added in its statement that the purpose of the bilateral meetings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar would be to \u201cdiscuss ongoing bilateral cooperation as well as regional peace and security\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Turkiye, he will participate in the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum and present Pakistan\u2019s position in the Leaders\u2019 Panel along with other world leaders, the FO added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPakistan\u2019s 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,\u201d the FO statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The premier will also be accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Tariq Fatemi, as well as other senior officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gulf countries \u2014 including Saudi Arabia<\/u><\/a> \u2014 are facing Iranian attacks<\/u><\/a>, which Tehran says<\/u><\/a> are aimed at US and Israeli sites in response to the latter\u2019s deadly large-scale strikes<\/u><\/a>. Pakistan has intensified efforts<\/a> to act as a mediator between the United States and Iran to end the ongoing war that has engulfed the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last month, PM Shehbaz hailed<\/a> Saudi Arabia for showing \u201cremarkable restraint\u201d during the ongoing hostilities and stressed the need for urgent de-escalation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 9, PM Shehbaz held a \u201crestricted meeting<\/a>\u201d with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to a statement by the PM\u2019s spokesperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the meeting, the prime minister expressed Pakistan\u2019s \u201cfull solidarity and support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in these challenging times\u201d, and both leaders agreed to work together for regional peace and stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long shared a multifaceted relationship rooted in strategic military cooperation, mutual economic interests, and shared Islamic heritage. These ties have encompassed economic assistance<\/u><\/a> and energy supplies<\/u><\/a>, with Riyadh being a significant source<\/u><\/a> of financial aid and oil for Islamabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier today, the finance ministry announced<\/a> that Saudi Arabia has pledged an additional $3 billion in deposits for Pakistan and has extended its existing $5 billion facility for a further three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ministry further stated that the existing $5 billion Saudi deposit would no longer be subject to the previous annual rollover<\/u><\/a> arrangement and would instead be extended for a longer term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 11, the Saudi defence ministry confirmed that Pakistan has sent a military force<\/a> and fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to boost security under a joint defence cooperation agreement between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September of last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed<\/u><\/a> a \u201cStrategic Mutual Defence Agreement\u201d in Riyadh, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will depart from Islamabad for Jeddah today on official visits to Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Qatar, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday. \u201cPrime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake official visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye from 15\u201318 April,\u201d the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":124331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nPM Shehbaz to depart today on official visits to Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Qatar - Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124330\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PM Shehbaz to depart today on official visits to Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Qatar - 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