Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said the focus of his forthcoming visit to Riyadh would be to explore more avenues of cooperation and to increase bilateral trade and investment besides increasing Pakistani manpower in Saudi Arabia. “I look forward to my official visit to Saudi Arabia. I would encourage more Saudi investment to avail of the investment opportunities in Pakistan. In this regard, we plan to hold investors conferences in Saudi Arabia in the near future. Other areas could include establishment of joint ventures and exchange of business delegations by businessmen and entrepreneurs of both countries to explore each others markets and benefit from them,” the prime minister said while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the new building of the Saudi embassy Tuesday night. In his welcome address, Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asseri said the inauguration of the new building is symbolic of further cementing of relations between the brotherly countries. “The history of our relation is over sixty years old and dates back to the day Pakistan appeared on world map as a consequence of heroic struggle of the brave Muslims of the subcontinent under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam.” The prime minister said Pakistan's friendship with Saudi Arabia transcends the changing global environment and expediency of international politics. “We maintain and consolidate our cooperation with Saudi Arabia as a cherished value of our foreign relations and international outlook.” He said the reverence for Saudi Arabia and esteem for the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques is deeply embedded in our hearts and is part of the Pakistani persona. “Sentiments of brotherhood between our two countries are rooted in our national ethos, shared values and common faith.” Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, he said, have an abiding interest in each other's security and stability. They share convergence of positions on most of the regional and international issues and are fully cognizant of the challenges faced by the Muslim Ummah and realize the need to address them for the betterment of our people. “We believe that Saudi Arabia's strength is our strength and I am confident that this feeling is mutual. We deeply appreciate the contribution that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been making towards our economic development especially through investment. It will remain our endeavor to further promote our multi-faceted cooperation.” Gilani said Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations are of unique and exemplary nature, which are clearly manifested by the frequency of high level visits exchanged between the two states. This is further reflected by the presence of over 1 million strong Pakistani community in Saudi Arabia, who are contributing towards the progress and development of the Kingdom and add to the strength of our mutual friendship. Ambassador Asseri said that each passing day is witness to deepening of the eternal bond between the leaderships, the governments and the people of the two countries. “The depth of this relationship can be gauged from the fact that Pakistan is the country most visited by Saudi leadership. King Saud came to Pakistan in 1954, King Faisal came in 1966 and 1974, King Khalid as Crown Prince in 1980 and King Abdullah as Crown Prince too visited Pakistan in 1984, 1997, 1998 and 2003. He also visited Pakistan as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in 2006. Similarly, every Pakistani leader has visited Saudi Arabia on numerous occasions, which is a testament to how deep, warm, unique and profound are the fraternal and brotherly relations that bind the two countries together.” __
