RIYADH: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to establish a training exchange programme for police and paramilitary forces.
The decision was made during a meeting between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif in Riyadh, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Both sides discussed security matters and ways to strengthen cooperation between the Interior Ministries of the two countries.
They also discussed resolving the long-standing issue concerning the legal status of Rohingya (Burmese) Muslims. The Saudi Interior Minister expressed his gratitude to Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, for his efforts in addressing the matter.
He also extended condolences to the families of the personnel martyred in the attack on the Federal Constabulary Headquarters in Peshawar.
Both sides agreed to establish a training exchange programme for police and paramilitary forces. It was further decided that the Working Group of the Interior Ministries of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will meet next month.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reaffirmed the depth of bilateral ties, stating that Saudi Arabia is like a second home for every Pakistani and that Pakistan takes pride in its enduring relationship with the Kingdom.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long enjoyed close ties but have sought to broaden cooperation in recent years, including a defence pact signed in Riyadh during the prime minister’s visit on Sept. 18 and 34 memorandums of understanding worth $2.8 billion across multiple sectors last year.
The two nations share longstanding ties rooted in faith, mutual respect, and strategic cooperation, with Riyadh remaining a key political and economic partner of Islamabad.
The Kingdom also hosts over 2.5 million Pakistani expatriates, the largest source of remittances for Pakistan’s $407 billion economy.
