Former Arab News editor Khaled Almaeena has said that Saudi Arabia after its delegation’s visit to Pakistan wanted to see what the South Asian country would bring to the table.

“It takes two hands to clap,” he said while appearing on Shaukat Piracha’s show Rubaroo which was aired on Aaj News on Tuesday.

He was responding to a question of whether the two country’s relationship would change to economic partnership.

Almaeena was of the view that it could and added that Saudi Arabia showed an intention by sending its delegation comprising bankers, economics, and others to Pakistan. He said that the kingdom considers Pakistan an important country.

The former Arab News editor said that the Pakistani side would tell their projects, KPI, good governance, goals, and projects. “It is not one-sided,” he said and added that the situation was changed from the past when emotions mattered.

“Now it is geo politics, geo economics, and a type of relationship that is beneficial for the two sides,” he said and also mentioned the social exchange between the two countries.

When asked, he described the Western world’s reaction to the Gaza situation as “hypocrisy” and “double standards”. He mentioned how some of the Western countries many times vetoed the resolution on Gaza.

He added that the kingdom tried a lot for international ceasefire and diplomacy. Almaeena called for strong defence among Arab countries, saying that the events showed they could not depend on the West.

When asked about the recent escalation in the Middle East, he said: “What Iran did was just to save the face in response to Israel’s bombing of consulate in Syria.”

He said that Iran’s bombs were slow-paced and the whole Arab world saw when they were moving. They were moving like a “small cart or something else,” he said and added that the situation would resolve when the world has a two-state solution.

“I think after this Israel-Iran drama, things will calm down unless Israel will try something.”