Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Ali S Awadh Asseri has ruled out any shift in his country's policy towards Pakistan stating that Riyadh's relations with New Delhi cannot be at the expense of Pakistan.
"King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz's recent visit to India should not be seen negatively in Pakistan as our relations with New Delhi cannot be at the expense of Pakistan," Asseri told a press conference in Islamabad, ahead of Abdullah's maiden visit to Pakistan after assuming throne in Saudi Arabia last year.
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"We should realise that the world is undergoing political and economic transformation, and no leader can afford to ignore his country's interests," he stressed.
About the possibility of the Saudi monarch playing a role in resolving the Kashmir dispute, the ambassador said, "We support the peace process. The King's visit will be useful as he is enthusiastic to see a peaceful solution of the dispute."
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will also sign five agreements, mainly focusing on cooperation in the education sector during King Abdullah's visit to Pakistan, which starts on Wednesday.
The agreements to be signed by the two countries are on avoidance of double taxation; cooperation in vocational training; cooperation in higher education; cooperation in science and technology; and political cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two countries.
"Terrorism, bilateral economic and trade cooperation, and regional issues related to the Pakistan-India peace process with focus on Kashmir, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan will come under discussion during the King's meetings with the Pakistani leadership," the envoy said.
Earlier, Abdullah last visited Pakistan in October 2003 as the crown prince. "The relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is a special one that does not exist between any other two countries," the ambassador said.
"We were brothers yesterday, we are brothers today and we will be brothers forever," he said.
Asseri said both sides would discuss in detail steps to fight the 'phenomenon of terrorism.' "We all are facing this menace and we need to jointly work to eliminate it," he said.
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