PM Nawaz to address FO conference prior to leaving for Saudi Arabia today

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will be travelling to Saudi Arabia today to help ease out the diplomatic crisis in the Gulf.

During the one-day visit, the premier is expected to hold discussions with senior officials of the kingdom regarding the ongoing crisis involving Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.

The premier is likely to depart from the Nur Khan Airbase at around 1pm. Foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz will also accompany the prime minister, among other officials.

Prior to departure, the prime minister is likely to address a conference being held by the Foreign Office to discuss Pakistan’s response to the crisis.

The conference will be chaired by Sartaz Aziz, and will be attended by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, as well as envoys to UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, who have been called back especially for the event.

During a media talk in Kazakhstan recently, Sharif had asserted that Pakistan enjoys cordial relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran and Qatar, and will do its best to ease out the tension between the Arab countries.

Last week, Saudi Arabia, along with Egypt, Bahrain and UAE, had severed ties with Qatar alleging that it supports terrorism and maintains with Iran.