Summary The Saudi King extended a warm welcome to both PM Nawaz and the Army Chief upon their arrival.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Shareef on Wednesday attended a formal dinner hosted by Saudi Arabian King and Custodian of the two Holy Mosques Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. The dinner was also attended by heads of states and representatives of 21 nations.
The Saudi King extended a warm welcome to both PM Nawaz and the Army Chief upon their arrival.
PM Nawaz and General Shareef were also accompanied by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Tariq Fatemi.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reached Riyadh earlier on an official visit to hold important talks with Saudi leadership.
The premier is visiting the Kingdom on the invitation of the Saudi King to witness the military exercise ‘North Thunder’.
"Pakistan enjoys cordial and brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia, which are characterized by strong bonds of affinity, mutual respect and solidarity, and draw strength from shared historical, cultural and Islamic values. Both countries enjoy multi faceted cooperation, including in the fields of defense and counter-terrorism," the Foreign Office stated.
Troops from 21 countries, including Pakistan, are participating in ‘Thunder North’ exercise, in the northern region of Saudi Arabia. The main goal of the exercise is to improve training in responding to threats posed by terrorist groups.
The exercise comes as a Saudi-led coalition of Arab countries began targeting rebels and their allies in Yemen in a campaign of airstrikes that began in March 2015.
