ISLAMABAD: Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir this week reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its longstanding strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia, according to state media, as Islamabad seeks to expand its defense and economic relations with Riyadh.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have worked to further enhance their brotherly relations by strengthening cooperation in defense, economic, investment and other domains. The two nations signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement in September 2025, which stipulates that an attack against one country will be considered an attack against both.
As regional tensions persist amid the United States and Iran conflict, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement (MJDA) earlier this month. The agreement stipulates that an attack against any one nation will be regarded as an attack against all three.
Munir met Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley at the General Headquarters (GHQ) on Friday.
“The COAS [chief of army staff] highlighted the deep-rooted brotherly relations between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening the longstanding strategic partnership between the two brotherly countries,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Friday.
During the meeting, matters of mutual interest were discussed, APP said. It added that Al-Fadley appreciated Pakistan’s positive role in promoting regional peace and stability.
The Saudi minister also expressed his desire to enhance cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the areas of agriculture and environmental sustainability, APP added.
Al-Fadley met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday to discuss bilateral ties and matters of mutual interest between the two countries.
Sharif said the Makkah defense pact sent a message of unity and peace across the region, and that it brought Islamabad, Ankara and Riyadh closer together.
Pakistan considers Saudi Arabia a vital regional and economic ally. The Kingdom has bailed Islamabad out of financial crises over the decades and is the top source of foreign remittances for the country, with over 2.5 million Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia.
