Saudi Arabia Denies Asking Pakistan To Skip Malaysia Summit

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By Saima Shabbir

The Saudi Embassy in Pakistan on Saturday denied a claim that the Kingdom had exerted pressure on Islamabad to dissuade it from participating in the Kuala Lumpur Summit.

The claim was published and aired by various media outlets in the country.

“The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Pakistan denied the information and fake news broadcast by some media channels, claiming that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pressurized and threatened Pakistan to refrain from participating in the Kuala Lumpur Summit,” said the statement, adding that the relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were cordial and did not require use of threatening language.

“The brotherly relations between the countries are long standing and strategic based on trust, understanding and mutual respect, and the two countries enjoy a consensus of views on most regional and international issues, especially the issues of the Islamic nation,” the statement continued, adding that the two sides had complete agreement on the idea of Muslim unity and maintaining the role of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The Embassy further maintained that the Kingdom had always stood by Pakistan in difficult times due to the fraternal relations between the two sides, noting that Saudi Arabia always wanted Pakistan to be a successful and stable country.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad hosted the Kuala Lumpur Summit from December 18 to 21. Prime Minister Imran Khan took a belated decision to skip the conference, making some sections of the media speculate that his decision was made under the Kingdom’s pressure.

Pakistan’s envoy to Saudi Arabia said the impression was totally wrong, and it was created by certain segments to serve their vested interests.

Arab News

Arab News is Saudi Arabia's first English-language newspaper. It was founded in 1975 by Hisham and Mohammed Ali Hafiz. Today, it is one of 29 publications produced by Saudi Research & Publishing Company (SRPC), a subsidiary of Saudi Research & Marketing Group (SRMG).

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