ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on security cooperation on Wednesday, while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) agreed to develop an international cricket stadium in Jeddah, marking the latest steps in expanding cooperation between the two countries.
The developments come as Islamabad and Riyadh continue to broaden their longstanding strategic partnership beyond traditional political and defense ties into areas including internal security, investment, sports, tourism and institutional collaboration, building on a series of high-level engagements between the two governments.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, in Riyadh, where both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral security cooperation.
"Under the directives of the leadership, I met today with my brother, His Excellency the Minister of Interior and Minister for Narcotics Control of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mr. Mohsin Raza Naqvi, where we affirmed our shared commitment to strengthening security cooperation between our two countries and signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the security field," Prince Abdulaziz wrote on X.
The Saudi minister described the agreement as reflecting "the strength of the strategic partnership and the depth of the longstanding relations between the Kingdom and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan."
Naqvi arrived in Riyadh earlier this week on an official visit, where he was received at King Khalid International Airport by Prince Abdulaziz, according to updates shared on the Pakistani minister's official WhatsApp channel.
During the visit, Naqvi also toured Riyadh's Unified Security Operations Center (911), where he reviewed the center's various operational departments, advanced technologies and the integrated coordination system linking Saudi Arabia's security agencies, according to his office.
Separately, the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation and the Pakistan Cricket Board signed a strategic MoU for the development of an international cricket stadium in Jeddah, the Saudi federation announced on X.
The federation said the partnership, signed by Naqvi, who also heads Pakistan's cricketing board, is expected to support the development of an international cricket venue in Jeddah, strengthen Saudi Arabia's readiness to host major international tournaments, promote the development of players, coaches and match officials, expand technical cooperation and expertise-sharing, create new investment and sports tourism opportunities, and support the Kingdom's Vision 2030 objectives.
Saudi Cricket said the strategic outcomes represent the partnership's expected impact in "advancing cricket and supporting Saudi Vision 2030."
The agreements are the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at expanding Pakistan-Saudi cooperation across multiple sectors, with both governments in recent years describing their relationship as a strategic partnership built on longstanding political, security, economic and people-to-people ties.
