Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif here on Monday received a telephone call from the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and discussed matters of mutual interest.
The Amir extended warm felicitations to Shehbaz Sharif on the assumption of office as the Prime Minister of Pakistan and assured of full support in deepening Qatar’s relations with Pakistan.
The Prime Minister thanked The Amir for his gracious gesture. He underlined the importance Pakistan attached to its relationship with Qatar and reaffirmed the strong desire to further expand bilateral cooperation in diverse fields.
In particular, the Prime Minister underscored the resolve to forge deeper economic engagement between Pakistan and Qatar – including in the trade, investment, energy, communications, food security and other key sectors.
The Prime Minister also appreciated the measures taken by Qatar for the well-being of the Pakistani workers in the fields of security, health and infrastructure.
The Prime Minister appreciated the role played by Qatar in the Afghan peace process and expressed the desire that both countries should continue to work together for peace, stability and humanitarian assistance for the people in Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister extended cordial invitation to The Amir to visit Pakistan at an early date. The two leaders agreed to remain in close contact and take forward the process of consolidation and further expansion of Pakistan-Qatar relations.
Later, the prime minister also met Ambassador of Qatar in Islamabad Sheikh Saoud Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the PM Office, where the latter conveyed the message of felicitations from the Qatari leadership on his election as premier.
Recalling the long-standing and fraternal ties between the two countries, he reaffirmed Qatar’s desire to further deepen and broaden bilateral relations with Pakistan.
The premier thanked the Qatari Ambassador for the messages of felicitations from the Qatari leadership. He underscored the importance Pakistan attached to its relationship with Qatar and reiterated his resolve to work towards further expansion of mutual cooperation in diverse fields. In particular, the prime minister highlighted the trade, investment, energy and manpower sectors in this regard.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday underscored Pakistan’s commitment to further advance its historic and longstanding relations by exploring new avenues of cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
The prime minister expressed these views while talking to Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Bin Saeed Al-Maliki, who called on him to congratulate him on assuming office, according to a statement from the PM Office.
The government looked forward to benefitting from Saudi Arabia in its expertise in various sectors including education, health, information technology, and alternative clean energy resources, the prime minister said.
The Saudi envoy congratulated PM Shehbaz and expressed confidence that under his leadership, friendly relations between the two countries would further grow.
