ISLAMABAD: Saudi Minister for Media Dr. Majed bin Abdullah Al- Kassabi has invited Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry to visit the kingdom.

Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Bin Saeed Al-Maliki called on information minister Fawad in Islamabad on Monday and conveyed the invitation on behalf of the Saudi media minister, according to official statement.

In his letter, the Saudi minister stated that on the occasion of Holy Month of Ramazan, he desired to invite the minister to visit Saudi Arabia and perform Umrah and visit the Mosque of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in Madinatul Munawara.

Further, he said, the visit would also provide both sides with the opportunity to discuss ways and means for strengthening of media cooperation.

The information minister accepted the invitation and said he would visit Saudi Arabia soon. He said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoyed deep fraternal ties based on common faith, culture, traditions and values and he would like the media dimension added to these ties.

During discussion with the ambassador, the emphasis was laid on the revival and implementation of memorandums of understanding (MOUs) signed between the two countries to strengthen cultural cooperation.

Fawad said that collaboration in the field of culture is imperative to understand each other’s values and bring the brotherly people of the two nations closer.

He also stressed enhanced cooperation in the fields of media and information.

Both sides also discussed the situation arising out of Covid-19 and exchanged views on utilising each other’s experiences and best practices to cope with the pandemic.

The information minister apprised the Saudi envoy about Pakistan’s strategy of smart lockdown which was internationally acknowledged. He said that the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to care for both lives and livelihoods of the poor strata of the society proved instrumental in tackling the challenge of Covid-19.

He further said that the government is fully determined to take further measures to protect the people from the coronavirus pandemic.