Sharif, who last visited Saudi Arabia, is leading a high-level delegation for the August 6-8 visit. The visit, it said, reflected Pakistan’s long-standing partnership with Saudi Arabia, rooted in decades of mutual trust, cooperation and brotherhood. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia further deepened their defence ties last year by signing a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, which became operational earlier this year. Under the defence framework, Pakistan has also deployed military personnel and aircraft to Saudi Arabia to support joint training, defence cooperation and the kingdom’s security requirements. Pakistan also relies on Saudi Arabia for loans to stabilise its economy.