Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, saying that the two countries would continue to work together for peace and stability in the region and beyond.
In a post on X, he described the meeting in Doha as “excellent”. The premier is currently in Qatar on an official visit.
PM Shehbaz stated that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir were also present for the meeting.
“Our most warm and productive discussions focused on how our two sides can advance our brotherly fraternal bonds and transform them into mutually beneficial economic relationships,” he said.
“We also took stock of the regional situation. Pakistan and Qatar will continue to work together for peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he said.
Meanwhile, a handout issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said the two leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthening the longstanding fraternal ties between Pakistan and Qatar.
“They expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of political engagement and underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation in all areas of mutual interest,” it said.
It added that the Qatari emir reiterated the country’s commitment to a deepening economic partnership to a higher strategic level.
The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual interest, emphasising the importance of dialogue, diplomacy and peaceful resolution of disputes, it said.
“They reaffirmed their support for closer cooperation within multilateral fora and agreed to maintain close coordination on key regional issues,” it said.
The statement further added that PM Shehbaz reiterated his invitation for the Qatari emir to undertake a visit to Pakistan, which was “happily accepted”.
The visit shall take place later this year, the statement said.
Pakistan, Qatar vow to strengthen strategic partnership
Earlier, PM Shehbaz had met Qatar Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha.
“The two leaders held discussions on bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments. They reaffirmed the strong fraternal ties between Pakistan and Qatar and expressed satisfaction over the growing momentum in political, economic and institutional engagement,” the PMO said.
“Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in trade and investment, energy, defence, labour mobility and cultural collaboration and a joint task force of both countries mandated to accelerate the cooperation in all these areas,” it said.
“Both sides emphasised the importance of implementing decisions taken during recent high-level engagements and institutional mechanisms, including the Joint Ministerial Commission and Bilateral Political Consultations,” it said.
During the meeting, regional issues, including developments in Gaza and broader Gulf security dynamics, were also discussed, it said.
“The prime minister appreciated Qatar’s constructive diplomatic efforts in promoting dialogue and de-escalation in the region,” the statement said.
Both leaders underscored the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes and adherence to international law, including the UN charter, it added.
The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of Pakistan and Qatar to further strengthen their strategic partnership and to remain engaged and in contact on bilateral, regional and international current issues, it concluded.
Regional developments, including Iran and Afghanistan, discussed
PM Shehbaz also met Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani.
“Regional developments were also discussed, in particular the situation in Iran and Afghanistan. Both sides emphasised the importance of dialogue, de-escalation and collective efforts to promote peace and stability in the region,” said a PMO statement.
According to the handout, the meeting reflected the shared resolve of Pakistan and Qatar to further elevate their strategic partnership across all areas of mutual interest.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral cooperation in defence and security and reaffirmed the strong and historic ties between Pakistan and Qatar, it said.
PM Shehbaz expressed satisfaction over the ongoing collaboration between the armed forces of the two countries. He underscored Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening defence cooperation and expanding collaboration.
Meanwhile, the Qatari official appreciated the professionalism and expertise of the Pakistan armed forces and conveyed Qatar’s interest in deepening defence partnership between the two countries, it said.
PM Shehbaz stresses importance of ‘enhancing trade volume’
PM Shehbaz, in a meeting with the minister of state for foreign trade of Qatar, underscored the significance of “enhancing trade volumes” between the two countries.
In his meeting with Minister of State for Foreign Trade of Qatar Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, who is also the chairman of the Pak-Qatar Joint Business Taskforce, the premier stressed the “importance of enhancing bilateral trade volumes” between the two countries, as per a statement via the PMO.
He also called for “diversifying Pakistan’s exports to Qatar, particularly in agricultural products, food items and value-added goods”.
The two sides “reviewed bilateral trade and economic cooperation and expressed satisfaction over the growing momentum in Pakistan–Qatar relations”.
The pair also held discussions on the “follow-up to the 6th Session of the Pakistan–Qatar Joint Ministerial Commission and reaffirmed their commitment to implementing agreed decisions”.
During the meeting, PM Shehbaz “highlighted Pakistan’s investment-friendly reforms,” citing the “role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) in facilitating foreign investment”.
The Qatari minister also expressed interest in “expanding economic cooperation and strengthening private-sector and business linkages between the two countries”.
It also decided to convene a meeting of the Pak-Qatar Joint Business Taskforce “within the month of Ramazan to discuss concrete investment proposals for Qatari investment in Pakistan”.
The PMO added that the meeting between the two leaders “underscored the shared resolve to further deepen trade, investment and industrial collaboration between Pakistan and Qatar”.
Also present during the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Fatemi.
Qatar Businessmen Association calls on PM Shehbaz
Separately, a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA), led by the association’s chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, called on the prime minister, the PMO said in a separate statement.
The premier lauded the QBA’s “constructive role in strengthening economic and commercial linkages between Pakistan and Qatar”.
As per the statement, the prime minister also assured the delegation that “Pakistan attached high importance to private-sector-led engagement as a key pillar of the bilateral partnership”.
The premier invited the QBA members to “explore opportunities in infrastructure, logistics, energy, agriculture, technology and export-oriented manufacturing” in Pakistan.
The QBA chairman expressed interest in “enhancing business-to-business cooperation and exploring investment opportunities in Pakistan”.
As per the statement, the two sides decided to “maintain close engagement, including during the upcoming visit of the taskforce on Pak-Qatar investment to Doha later this month, as well as hosting of business forums, to translate discussions into concrete economic partnerships”.
“Both sides agreed to undertake special efforts to facilitate linkages between the businesses and entrepreneurs of both countries so that business-to-business relations between Pakistan and Qatar can be enhanced,” the statement read.
It added that the meeting underscored the “shared commitment” of the two countries to “further expand trade and investment ties through strengthened collaboration between their respective private sectors”.
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