PM Shehbaz departs for Riyadh to attend Arab-Islamic Summit

LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for Riyadh on Sunday to participate in the Arab-Islamic Summit.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, he is set to address the Arab-Islamic Summit and engage in discussions on critical regional issues.

The PM Shehbaz is also expected to hold meetings with various global leaders on the sidelines of the event. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi are accompanying him on this diplomatic mission.

The Arab-Islamic Summit, convened by the Saudi government, will focus on key issues in the Middle East, including the current situation in Gaza and Palestine. Heads of state and government from member countries of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are attending this extraordinary gathering.

Earlier, Spokesperson and Additional Foreign Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stated that, at the summit, PM Shehbaz would reiterate Pakistan’s full support for the Palestinian cause and call for an immediate end to the genocide in Gaza, an urgent and unconditional ceasefire, and an immediate cessation of ongoing Israeli adventurism in the region that endangers the security of countries in the Middle East.

Pakistan will also call for international protection for the Palestinian people and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine on the borders of 4 June 1967, with Quds Al Sharif as its capital, she added.

On the sidelines of the summit, the prime minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders from other Arab League and OIC member states.

Meanwhile, the prime minister will also visit Baku, Azerbaijan, to participate in the World Leaders Climate Action Summit being held on November 12-13 as part of the 29th UN Climate Change Conference.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, other cabinet members, and senior officials will accompany the prime minister who will make a robust call for climate solidarity and climate justice based on the established principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.