Pakistani premier holds talks with Saudi Arabian counterpart in Mecca

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday began talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the prime minister of his country, at Al-Safa Palace in the holy city of Mecca.

Sharif was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Field Marshal and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, according to Radio Pakistan.

Sharif and Prince Mohammed were expected to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and international developments.

Sharif arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for talks focused on bilateral cooperation and regional developments.

He was received at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah by Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, deputy governor of the Mecca region.

He performed Umrah in Mecca earlier in the day.

The visit comes as Islamabad continues mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran.

In June, Qatar joined Pakistan in mediating the talks between the US and Iran, leading to the signing of a memorandum of understanding on June 18 and the launch of negotiations toward a final agreement.

The negotiations later stalled over disagreements related to maritime security and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, although officials from Iran, Oman, and the US have recently signaled progress toward resolving the remaining issues.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also arrived in Saudi Arabia for a one-day working visit on Friday.

During the visit, Erdogan is expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sharif.

No further details about the agenda of the meetings were immediately available.

The visit comes a week after Pakistan joined a new Saudi-led Red Sea naval coalition, aimed at securing the waters from attacks on shipping by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia inked a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement in September last year.