Saudi foreign minister to arrive in Pakistan on Thursday on maiden visit

Saudi Arabia's newly appointed foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud will arrive in Islamabad on Thursday on his maiden visit to the country, the Foreign Office announced.

He will hold a meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and call on Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"This would be his maiden visit to Pakistan, during which the exchange of views would cover bilateral matters and regional issues of mutual interest," the FO statement issued on Wednesday said.

According to the FO, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy a "deep-rooted and longstanding fraternal relationship" and the two countries are committed to further strengthening bilateral cooperation in all fields.

"Frequent high-level visits are a key feature of the relationship and serve to further deepen and broaden mutual collaboration," the press release added.

Prince Faisal, with experience in Western capitals and loyalty to the powerful Saudi crown prince, was appointed as the kingdom's foreign minister in October.

A one-time adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the former ambassador to Germany, Prince Faisal replaced Ibrahim al-Assaf who was in the role for less than a year.