Pakistan Foreign Minister to visit Saudi Arabia for regional security talks

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, will travel to Riyadh from March 18-19 to participate in a regional foreign ministers’ meeting, the Foreign Office said on Wednesday.

The visit, at the invitation of Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, comes amid rising security concerns in the Gulf and broader Middle East. Dar is expected to reaffirm Pakistan’s support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence of countries in the region and call for an immediate halt to cross-border attacks.

During the talks, Dar will stress the need for dialogue and diplomacy as the primary means of resolving regional conflicts, and highlight Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic outreach and readiness to play a constructive role in addressing evolving security challenges.

The trip follows a series of recent high-level visits between the two countries. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia on March 12 for discussions on regional security, while Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, met Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman on March 7. Discussions focused on Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and measures to address escalating threats in the region.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia maintain close defense and security ties, including military cooperation and economic support. Riyadh has long been a key provider of financial assistance and energy supplies to Islamabad.

In Sept. 2025, Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a strategic mutual defense agreement, pledging that an attack on either country would be treated as aggression against both, underscoring the depth of their security partnership.