Qureshi, Saudi FM reinvigorate momentum to achieve mutual goals

NEW YORK: ​Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and fondly recalled their last meeting in Jeddah last week, during the Prime Minister’s maiden visit to the Kingdom.

The sides expressed satisfaction at the convergence of views between the leadership of the two countries on issues of regional and global importance and agreed to maintain the momentum generated by the visit, to achieve tangible results on mutually agreed areas of cooperation.

​The two Foreign Ministers agreed to remain closely engaged to chart out a road-map for enhancing bilateral trade, business and investment relations.

Qureshi and his Saudi counterpart also agreed to convene the next round of Bilateral Political Consultation between the two Foreign Ministries at an early date, to take their discussion further.

Lately, Islamabad has invited Saudi Arabia to invest in the Beijing-funded, multi-billion dollar infrastructure corridor being constructed in Pakistan.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced, after Khan’s maiden foreign trip to the oil-rich kingdom, “Saudi Arabia is the first country whom we have invited to join CPEC as third partner.”

He said a Saudi delegation including the finance and energy ministers will visit Pakistan in the first week of October to lay the foundations for “big financial cooperation” between the two countries.

The Minister did not give further details of the new “partnership”, but said Saudi Arabia would have direct investments in major projects under the proposal.

“So now in CPEC, our third strategic partner and economic partner will be Saudi Arabia and by the grace of God huge investments will come from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan,” he said.