Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Tuesday reiterated their desire to further strengthen the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Kuwait.
During the course of their warm and cordial exchanges at the Amiri Diwan in Kuwait City, the two leaders discussed issues of mutual interest.
Prime Minister Sharif emphasized that Pakistan attached the highest importance to its relations with Kuwait and desired to further strengthen them through enhancing cooperation in diverse fields. He underlined the need for enhancing economic cooperation between Pakistan and Kuwait in industrial, agriculture, energy and defence sectors.
The prime minister urged the Kuwaiti investors to take advantage of the immense economic opportunities available at Pakistan. He also apprised the Amir of Kuwait of his fruitful meetings with the prime minister of Kuwait and the speaker of National Parliament of Kuwait and with the Kuwaiti businessmen and investors.
The prime minister thanked the Amir of Kuwait for extending warm welcome to him and his delegation in Kuwait.
Minister for Petroleum Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, Chairman Board of Investment Miftah Ismaeel and Pakistan Ambassador to Kuwait Ghulam Dastagir were also present there.
Later, talking to his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah at the Bayan Palace here, PM Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan and Kuwait had been economic and trade partners for long and Pakistan wished to further enhance its relations with Kuwait in all spheres.
The prime minister said the Joint Ministerial Commission between the two countries provided the best platform to take stock of bilateral cooperation in various economic sectors and setting new benchmarks to carry this cooperation forward.
Referring to the level of bilateral trade between the two countries, he reiterated that this needed to be further enhanced to its fullest potential.
Encouraging greater private sector interaction could enhance the existing level of trade as well as bridge the imbalance in existing trade patterns, he said.
The prime minister proposed establishing a Pakistan-Kuwait Joint Business Council (JBC) between two apex chambers of commerce to address these issues. He said there was great potential for cooperation in the fields of agriculture, construction, poultry, livestock and fisheries and to this end meetings of experts of the two countries be held to work out a plan of action.
He said there were a number of energy and infrastructure development projects in Pakistan that could be considered by foreign investors.
“We would welcome further investments from Kuwait in mega infrastructure and energy projects being undertaken in Pakistan,” he emphasized.
The prime minister and his Kuwaiti counterpart also held one-on-one meeting followed by delegation level talks.
The Kuwaiti prime minister was accompanied by his minister for defence, minister for finance, minister for energy and other senior officials.
Earlier, prime minister was accorded a warm welcome upon arrival at the Bayan Palace with Guard of Honor.
Earlier, talking to Kuwait Parliament Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim here at the National Parliament of Kuwait, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stressed strengthening and developing fraternal ties between the two countries through close mutual parliamentary links.
The prime minister suggested that parliamentary relations between the two chambers deserved to be raised to an advanced phase of cooperation that would better reflect the excellent relations between the two sides.
The speaker of Kuwaiti Parliament welcomed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his delegation to the National Parliament of Kuwait and briefed him on the structure and functioning of the Kuwaiti Parliament.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left here Tuesday for Islamabad after completing his two-day official visit of Kuwait.
The Prime Minister was seen off at Kuwait International Airport by Sheikh Salem Al Jaber, Advisor to the Kuwaiti PM and other senior officials.