Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi telephoned his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud and held detailed discussion regarding the challenge posed by coronavirus to the global community.

The Foreign Minister expressed deep grief and sorrow over the deaths of Saudi nationals due to coronavirus and appreciated the timely steps taken by the Saudi government to contain the virus.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi also apprised the Saudi Foreign Minister about the steps taken by Pakistan to check the spread of the contagion.

The Foreign Minister pointed out that developing countries such as Pakistan are facing grave economic difficulties to face this global challenge.  Therefore, Prime Minister Imran Khan has suggested restructuring of loans of these countries so that they could use their resources to cope with the pandemic and save the precious lives.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi strongly denounced the missile attacks on Saudi capital Riyadh and Jizan and appreciated the timely response of Saudi forces to save the precious lives and infrastructure.

The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s support to the security and territorial integrity of the Kingdom.

The Saudi Foreign Minister that the G-20 Virtual Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia discussed various aspects of financial assistance to the developing countries including the proposal of restructuring their loans.

The two foreign ministers agreed to continue their consultation process for the promotion of bilateral cooperation and to meet the coronavirus challenge.