ISLAMABAD – Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi thanked SaudiArabia for supporting Pakistan in the FATF, saying that Saudi Arabia hasshown clarity in supporting Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.
FM Qureshi and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud helda meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday. During the meeting, Pakistan and SaudiArabia have agreed to further improve their economic linkages and expandtheir bilateral relations in new areas.
Later addressing a joint news conference, the Saudi foreign minister saidboth Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong bonds, adding that thisfraternal relationship goes beyond many decades.
Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud said the establishment of Saudi-Pakistan SupremeCoordination Council is an important milestone to take the bilateralrelationships between the two countries to new levels and explore newopportunities of cooperation. He said both the countries will encouragetheir business community to interact more frequently to further strengthenthe economic relations.
The Saudi minister said his country values the contributions made byPakistani community in the economy of the Kingdom. He said during talkstoday, we discussed more opportunities for Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia.
Alluding to the commonality of views on regional issues, He also saidPakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to continue to work togetherincluding on Kashmir, Palestine, Afghanistan and Yemen to facilitateregional peace and stability.
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In his remarks on the occasion, FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the talksprimarily focused on promoting bilateral trade and investment. He said thetwo sides have made a good progress towards the activation ofSaudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council. He said there will be focalpersons in both the countries to oversee progress on this front.
The minister said there are immense opportunities for Saudi Arabia forinvestment in SEZs under the CPEC. He said our skilled, semi-skilledworkforce and professionals can also make significant contributions to theSaudi vision 2030. He said Pakistan looks forward to expand relations withSaudi Arabia in the areas of culture, information, media, entertainment andsports.
FM Qureshi said both the sides have also discussed ways and means topromote cooperation in the area of climate change. He also thanked SaudiArabia for supporting Pakistan in the FATF. He said Saudi Arabia is alsopart of OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. He said the Kingdom hasbeen supportive and has shown clarity in supporting Pakistan on thedisputed territory.
