Islamabad, April 16: Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman on Saturday telephoned Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and invited him to visit Riyadh at the earliest, amid political and economic crises besetting the fellow Islamic nation. Prime Minister Sharif expressed his resolve to work closely with Saudi Arabia to strengthen the ties between the two countries.

The Saudi de facto ruler was the first foreign leader to telephone Sharif, underlining the close relationship between the two countries, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. Saudi Arabia has remained Pakistan's key economic lifeline as it doled out many bailout packages to help Islamabad deal with the depleting reserves. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Calls Russian President Vladimir Putin to Discuss Ukraine, Yemen, Says Kremlin.

It is not clear if the new premier would also seek a financial bailout package during his visit as one of the senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders told the newspaper that the main purpose of the visit is to repair the damage done to the ties with Saudi Arabia during the last government.

A statement issued by the PM Office said the Saudi Crown Prince congratulated Sharif on his election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. “The Prime Minister thanked the Crown Prince for the felicitations and expressed his resolve to work closely with the Kingdom to enhance and further strengthen bilateral relations between their two countries,” the statement added.

“While recalling the fraternal and historic bonds between their two countries that have been the hallmark of their strategic relationship over the past seven decades, the premier reaffirmed his government's and his own commitment to further advance these relations to new heights,” Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

Shehbaz thanked Saudi Arabia for its historic and continued support and cooperation, both bilaterally as well as at international forums, while also assuring the Saudi leader that Pakistan would stand by the kingdom at all times, Geo News reported. Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Gave.

The newly-elected premier and the crown prince agreed to work together to further augment and diversify their bilateral ties in all spheres, in particular trade, investment and employment generation opportunities, it said.

The Saudi crown prince extended his cordial invitation to the prime minister to pay an official visit to the Kingdom, at an early date. Thanking the crown prince for his gracious invitation, the premier also extended an invitation to him to undertake a state visit to Pakistan, it added.

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