DM Monitoring
WASHINGTON: The United States Wednesday voiced its support for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s (MBS) visit to Pakistan saying that Washington “encourages” such diplomatic engagements.
“We always support diplomatic engagement between our partners […] it’s a routine kind of diplomatic engagement and is something that we support and encourage,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing in Washington. His remarks come a day after Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that the Saudi monarch’s much-anticipated visit to Pakistan was “on the cards” and the final dates of his visit are expected to be received from the kingdom this month.
“InshaAllah, the visit is due [and] I believe we may receive final dates [of the visit from Saudi Arabia] anytime in May,” Dar said. The crown prince had informed PM Shehbaz, during his visit to the Kingdom in the month of Ramadan, that he would visit Pakistan after initial meetings between Pakistan and Saudi officials, FM Dar said.
A 50-member high-level Saudi trade delegation led by Deputy Investment Minister Ibrahim Almubarak also visited Pakistan from May 5 to 6 with the aim of exploring various avenues of trade and investment to further strengthen and promote bilateral relations. Meanwhile, responding to a question regarding Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi’s last month’s visit to Pakistan, the State Department spokesperson said that the US welcomes de-escalation between Tehran and Islamabad in the backdrop of cross-border strikes carried out by both countries in January earlier this year.
