RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed that ties with Pakistan remain strong and solid.

Talking to visiting Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday, Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier and the Minister of Defence, stressed the strength of relations between the two countries and their enhancement in all fields, the Saudi Press Agency reported after the meeting.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the status of relations and discussed various issues of mutual interest.

Foreign Minister Khar also reiterated the invitation of Prime Minister Raja Ashraf to the Crown Prince to visit Pakistan. Prince Salman said he would soon visit Pakistan.

Although it is not clear, why the Pakistani minister was invited by her Saudi counterpart ‘to visit Riyadh at the earliest possible’, analysts feel developments in the region, including the proposed US pullout from Afghanistan and the ongoing situation in Syria and Bahrain, may have necessitated the visit.

“Khar will be in Riyadh at the invitation of Prince Saud. Her two-day visit beginning on Tuesday will strengthen the strategic relationship between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, the world’s leading Islamic states,” Pakistan’s Ambassador Mohammad Naeem Khan had earlier told the local press.

Iranian press, however, has been saying that the issue of the proposed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline may also have cropped up during the meeting.