Kuwait, Qatar emirs confirm Pakistan visit

PM Shehbaz reiterates Pakistan's commitment to strengthening cooperation for mutual benefit

ISLAMABAD:

The emirs of Kuwait and Qatar have accepted an invitation extended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to visit Pakistan.

During separate meetings with the ambassadors of the two Gulf nations, Premier Shehbaz received letters from the emirs of both countries.

Ambassador Nasir Abdul Rahman Jasir Al-Mutairi of Kuwait presented a letter from Emir Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, while the Qatari Ambassador delivered a letter from Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, both confirming the acceptance of the premier's invitation to visit Pakistan at “mutually agreed dates”.

Expressing gratitude for the longstanding fraternal relations between Pakistan and Qatar, the prime minister reiterated Pakistan's commitment to strengthening cooperation for mutual benefit.

“The prime minister emphasised Pakistan’s profound appreciation for its historic fraternal relations with Qatar and reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to further strengthening mutual cooperation between the two brotherly nations,” state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

He said that both sides should start preparations for the visit with an exchange of delegations between the two capitals to ensure that the high-level visit was productive and successful and results were beneficial for both countries.

While receiving the letter handed over by Kuwait’s ambassador, the prime minister recalled his recent meeting with the Kuwaiti Emir held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on April 2028, 2024.
Shehbaz expressed his satisfaction that the next meeting of the Pakistan-Kuwait Joint Ministerial Commission was going to be held in Kuwait on May 28-30.

Palestine

PM Shehbaz appreciated Norway’s decision to recognise the state of Palestine amid Israel’s atrocious military aggression.

He hoped that this bold and principled decision by Norway, Spain and Ireland to recognise the state of Palestine would encourage other countries to follow suit.

The premier wrote in a post on social media platform X that he had an excellent telephonic conversation with his Norwegian counterpart, Jonas Gahr Store.

“Welcomed the recent ICJ [International Court of Justice] decision ordering Israel to halt its heinous actions in Gaza & Rafah. Both Norway and Pakistan firmly believe that the UN backed two-state solution offers the best path to lasting peace in the Middle East.”

PM Shehbaz further hoped that the international community would pay similar attention to the plight of the innocent Kashmiris, who were also facing brutal occupation and oppression for the past 76 years.
In a related post on X, the premier wrote that in his conversation with his Norwegian counterpart, they also exchanged views on Pakistan-Norway ties and expressed a shared desire to further strengthen their cordial relations, especially in trade and investment.

“Grateful to [the] Norwegian PM for complimenting the Pakistani diaspora [there] who [act as a] bridge between both [the] countries. [I] extended a warm invitation to PM Jonas Gahr Store to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at his earliest convenience.”

Norway’s decision comes as Israeli forces have led assaults on the northern and southern edges of the Gaza Strip in May, causing a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of people, and sharply restricted the flow of aid, raising the risk of famine.