Qatar assures PM of continued cooperation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held talks with Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Sunday and exchanged views on further strengthening the bilateral cooperation in diverse fields, including economic and investment sectors.

The prime minister arrived in Qatar on a two-day official visit to participate in the 5th United Nations conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) being held in the capital Doha from Sunday through Thursday.

The conference will consider steps for accelerating sustainable development in the LDCs, which is home to more than 1.1 billion people, helping them make progress on the road to prosperity.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister Office’s Media Wing, the prime minister and the Qatari amir discussed a wide array of mutually beneficial matters during their meeting.

Shehbaz appreciated Qatar’s support for the development projects in Pakistan, highlighting the vast opportunities of cooperation between the two countries. Sheikh Tamim lauded the contributions of Pakistani manpower in his country’s development.

The amir appreciated the performance of the Pakistani security authorities during the FIFA Football World Cup 2022 which was hosted by Qatar in late 2022. He also reiterated his resolve to continue Qatar’s cooperation in the development of Pakistan.

During the meeting, both the leaders also discussed further cementing of bilateral cooperation, investment, trade and sending of more Pakistani skilled workers to Qatar. The amir accepted an invitation of the prime minister to visit Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Qatar Investment Authority, Mansoor Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud, called on the prime minister to follow up on the detailed discussion between the two sides during the Shehbaz’s visit to Qatar in August 2022.

During the meeting, Al-Mahmoud and Prime Minister Shehbaz exchanged views on the progress on various investment proposals in multiple sectors of Pakistan’s economy, while highlighting the investment opportunities in the energy and infrastructure sectors.

The Qatar Investment Authority expressed keen interest in investing in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plants, airports, and solar power parks in Pakistan.

Shehbaz invited the Qatari investors to take advantage of the investment-friendly policies of Pakistan.

Al-Mahmoud concurred with the prime minister regarding the importance of bilateral trade and investment, expressing his desire to strengthen the bilateral economic ties.

Shehbaz thanked Al-Mahmoud for his interest in enhancing cooperation with Pakistan.

Both the sides remained optimistic about working closely to translate existing understandings to strengthen their economic ties and further diversify them in the future in line with Qatar’s Vision 2030.