BEIJING, Jun 11 (APP):: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently paid an official visit to Saudi Arabia. The visit focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation and achieved multiple important consensuses and outcomes.
These views were expressed by Prof. Cheng Xizhong, Senior Research Fellow at the Charhar Institute, in a statement here Wednesday.
He opined that the relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has a long history and is of vital importance. The bilateral relations have a far-reaching impact on economic cooperation between the two sides and regional peace and stability.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are both Islamic countries. Saudi Arabia is the location of Mecca and Medina, the two holy sites of Islam, and holds a special religious status in the Islamic world. The Pakistani people have deep feelings for the religious holy sites in Saudi Arabia. This connection of religious emotions has given the two countries a natural sense of closeness in culture and values, laying a solid foundation for the relations between the two countries, he added.
Prof. Cheng said that in the field of security, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long supported each other. The Pakistani military is relatively strong in the Muslim world. Pakistan has always regarded Saudi Arabia’s security as an important concern and has repeatedly provided assistance and support, including military training, when Saudi Arabia faces security threats.
On the international political stage, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share similar positions and interests on many issues. Both are important members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and they collaborate and speak in unison on issues concerning the Muslim world to enhance the status and influence of the Islamic world internationally, he added.
Saudi Arabia is a major world oil power with abundant oil resources and strong financial strength. Pakistan is a major energy-consuming country, and Saudi Arabia has long been an important oil supplier to Pakistan, which is crucial for Pakistan’s industrial production, transportation and life of the people.
In addition, the two sides have also carried out cooperation in the fields of energy infrastructure construction and oil refining, which has further enhanced the level of cooperation between the two sides in the energy field and is conducive to achieving the deep integration of the energy industry chain, he said.
On Saudi Arabia’s investment in Pakistan, he said that it covers multiple sectors, including infrastructure, agriculture, minerals and information technology. The capital injection from Saudi Arabia helps Pakistan strengthen the construction of infrastructure such as transportation, communication and energy, which is conducive to Pakistan’s comprehensive economic development.
Currently, a large number of Pakistanis are employed in Saudi Arabia, working in various fields such as engineering, healthcare, education and technology. Remittance from Pakistani laborers there has become one of the important foreign exchange sources for Pakistan.
According to statistics, approximately 18 million Pakistanis live in Saudi Arabia, and the annual remittance amount reaches as high as 6.5 billion US dollars. This plays a significant supporting role in the economic stability and development of Pakistan, he added.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia jointly play important roles in regional security affairs. Strengthening cooperation between the two countries can, to a certain extent, balance regional forces and ease regional tensions.
Prof Cheng said that the strengthening of economic cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia can drive the economic development of surrounding regions and create a favorable economic environment for regional peace and stability.
For example, Saudi Arabia’s participation in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) construction is not only conducive to the economic development of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia themselves, but also helps promote economic ties and regional integration processes among Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East, thereby reducing the potential risks of regional conflicts.
Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are important countries in the Islamic world, and their increasingly close relations help promote the unity and cooperation of the entire Islamic world.
“I believe that the two countries may carry out more exchanges and cooperation in the fields of religion, culture, economy and other aspects, promote closer ties among Islamic countries, so as to jointly cope with external challenges and create a solid social and cultural foundation for regional peace and stability,” he concluded.