ISLAMABAD – Saudi Minister for Culture and Information Dr Awwad Bin SalehBin Alawwad has said that Pakistan is Saudi Arabia’s friend and a strategicpartner.

Talking to Pakistani media persons here on the sidelines of the informationministers meeting of the Allied countries held in Jeddah, he said the twocountries had always enjoyed friendly relations and they never had anydeadlock. He said Saudi Arabia would continue to cooperate and work withPakistan. He said the objective of holding information ministers’conference was to accelerate peace efforts in Yemen.

Dr Awwad said he would visit Pakistan after the general elections scheduledto be held on July 25. He recalled his visit to Pakistan last year andaccepted the invitation extended to him by Shafqat Jalil, additionalsecretary at the Ministry of Information.

Jalil is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia to lead a Pakistanidelegation at the conference of information ministers of the coalitioncountries.

Earlier, Dr Awwad received the Pakistani delegation and underlined the needfor more media cooperation between the two brotherly countries.

On the occasion, Jalil conveyed the greetings and best wishes of Syed AliZafar, interim minister for Information, Broadcasting, National History andLiterary Heritage, and extended the invitation on his behalf to visitPakistan. Jalil assured the Saudi minister of cooperation in the field ofmedia and culture as it would further cement the relations between the twocountries. He thanked the Saudi minister for accepting the invitation andhoped that he would soon visit Pakistan.

Ambassador of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia Khan Hasham bin Siddique and highranking Saudi officials were also present in the meeting.