Saudi-Pakistan friendship to get further boost: envoy
By Qudssia Akhlaque
ISLAMABAD, Sept 21: In the coming days and months, Saudi Arabia-Pakistan relations will be given a further boost with greater high-level interaction between the two governments aimed at enhancing and broadening bilateral cooperation in all areas
, particularly in the economic sphere.
This was stated by Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asseri at a Press briefing here on Tuesday on the occasion of the 74th National Day of Saudi Arabia. The briefing was dedicated to Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relationship that was characterized by the ambassador in superlatives.
His message for the leadership and people of Pakistan was: "Of all the friendships between nations, there is none like the one that exists between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. It is a genuine reflection of the eternal bonds that tie the two countries and people together."
Ambassador Asseri said the leadership and people of Pakistan shared a common history of fraternity and brotherhood with Saudi Arabia that was reflected in an outpouring of emotion and feelings on the auspicious occasion of the National Day of Saudi Arabia.
"I am overwhelmed by this expression of love and closeness that I am privileged to reciprocate on behalf of the leadership and people of Saudi Arabia," he declared.
Referring to his long and fond association with Pakistan, the Saudi ambassador said during his almost four-year stay in Pakistan he had experienced on numerous occasions the outpourings of such sentiments. He believed it was the religious, cultural and human bonds that brought the two countries and the two people so close together.
Underlining commonalities between the two countries the Saudi ambassador observed: "This solidarity reflects a friendship that keeps growing with every passing day. It is as if the material distance separating the two countries does not exist and the two countries and the two people are like one."
He also credited the leaderships of the two countries for the immense closeness that he said stood on firm foundations. "They have acted together against the curse of hunger, disease and poverty.
They have forged their ranks to eliminate inequity and injustice from the world," he said. Without going into the specifics, he added: "They have lent impetus to the effort to provide equal opportunities to all people of the world and to resolve conflicts by recognising the inalienable right of self-expression of all people."
The Saudi ambassador did not have much to say when asked why the tremendous goodwill between the two countries had not translated into greater material cooperation. His thrust was that on bilateral front things were moving at a faster pace now and that in the times to come it would get much better.
His prayer was that God bless the leaderships and the people of the two countries and that He "may provide the wisdom and opportunities so that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could continue playing a positive and constructive role to forge an amicable and dignified resolution of all festering disputes from the world.
In a veiled reference to the scourge of terrorism, he added: "And they may act together to fight the forces of evil till they are eliminated from the world. And that they pool their resources and efforts to bring progress, prosperity and happiness to the people of the two countries and to people throughout the world."
Ambassador Asseri appreciated the constructive and positive role played by the media in strengthening relations between the two brotherly countries despite the extremely negative propaganda against Islam and the Muslim world by what he referred to as "the irresponsible Western media".
He was of the view that the best way to counter propaganda against Islam was to convey the true message of Islam and educate the West about it by investing in them.
