India has reacted to the new strategic mutual defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, saying that the government will carefully examine its potential implications and keep national security first at all times.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, “We have seen reports of the signing of the strategic defence agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The government was aware of this development, which had been under consideration between the two countries for a long time. He said that we will study the implications of this agreement to see how it will affect our national security, regional and global stability. The Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the government is committed to protecting national interests and ensuring comprehensive security at all levels.
It may be recalled that that a historic bilateral defence agreement was signed between the two countries in a meeting between Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman yesterday. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s House, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received the Prime Minister of Pakistan at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. And the two leaders held a formal meeting of talks in the presence of delegations from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif welcomed the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and expressed his best wishes. The two sides reviewed and discussed the historical and strategic relations between the two countries and several issues of common interest. In the context of the nearly eight decades of historical partnership, brotherhood and Islamic solidarity between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as well as the shared strategic interests and close defence cooperation between the two countries, His Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif signed the ‘Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement’ between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
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