A recap of FM Qureshi’s Malaysia trip

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi undertook a visit to Malaysia from Nov 4-5 on the invitation of his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah, according to a statement put out by the Foreign Office on Tuesday.

He attended a preparatory meeting on Kuala Lumpur Summit chaired by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Other participants included the Foreign Minister of Qatar and Minister of Industry and Technology of Turkey.

FM Qureshi held separate meetings with the Malaysian Foreign Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs to discuss bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, halal food, science and technology, human resource and international issues of common interest.

He thanked the Malaysian government for its principled stance on the Kashmir issue.

In addition to his official meetings, the foreign minister held a networking meeting with leading businessmen at a lunch hosted by Queen Kalsom of Pahang at her residence. He apprised the businessmen of the steady improvements in Pakistan’s economy notably the impressive jump in the country’s rating on Ease of Doing Business Index brought about by the government’s business friendly and reform-oriented policies. He invited the businessmen to invest in Pakistan.

Qureshi also held a meeting with the top management of the flagship Malaysian Oil and Gas Corp Petronas to discuss cooperation in Oil and Gas and LNG sectors. Petronas evinced keen interest to increase collaboration with Pakistan. Petronas has presence across the globe and is known for its expertise in energy sector.

He later inaugurated Community Service Centre at the High Commission of Pakistan, which has been set up by Malaysia Pakistan Business Council. It would provide facilitation to over 82,000 Pakistani nationals in Malaysia.

Appreciating the initiative, the FM said that the step was in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan who accorded immense importance to community welfare. He also addressed a gathering of prominent Pakistani community members and businessmen at the High Commission.