Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabar Al Thani on Monday agreed to cooperate in the energy sector and expand trade between the two countries. In this connection, the two sides signed agreements to collaborate in multiple areas, mainly import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and cooperation between the two governments on security.
Gilani and Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani witnessed the signing ceremony of two agreements and four memoranda of understanding, as the representatives of Pakistan and Qatar’s respective ministries inked the documents.
Following exclusive and delegation-level talks at the Amiri Diwan – the office of Qatar’s prime minister, the two leaders discussed ways to further promote trade and investment ties in order to add substance to the bilateral relations. The two sides discussed diverse issues, including joint development of hydropower sector, identification of sources of financing, exploration of investment opportunities in energy sector, rehabilitation of existing hydropower plants and construction of the national highway and motorway infrastructure.
Pointing out the issue of finalisation of transnational formalities to import Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) at the earliest, Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan was interested in importing 500 million cubic feet LNG per day from Qatar that produces 77 million tonnes per annum of LNG. The imported LNG would be initially provided to the power houses in Pakistan to generate 2,500 Megawatt of electricity.
Pakistan, Qatar agree to cooperate in energy, trade
