Imran Khan meets Saudi crown prince, discusses 'latest' regional, international developments

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday met Saudi Arabia's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his day-long tour to the country.

"During the meeting, they discussed close relations between the two countries, aspects of bilateral cooperation and the latest developments at the regional and international arena," Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said in a statement on Twitter about the meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister and the Saudi Crown Prince.

Shortly after his arrival in the country, Khan met Saudi King and discussed "latest developments at the regional and international arenas and efforts exerted towards them."

Khan's visit came two days after his visit to Iran, the arch-rival of Saudi Arabia, in a bid to defuse tensions in the region. During his visit to the Kingdom, Khan was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

This was Khan's third visit to Saudi Arabia this year. His earlier visits were in May and September 2019. From the Saudi side, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman paid a state visit to Pakistan in February 2019.

Tensions in the region have been high for months, following US President Donald Trump's decision to impose crushing sanctions that target Iran's crude oil sales which have crippled its economy. Those sanctions came after Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers last year.

The tensions culminated in a September 14 attack on key Saudi oil infrastructure that halved the kingdom's oil production.