ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain on Wednesday stressed the need of enhancing trade volume between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which is below its true potential.
The president said this while talking to a delegation of Pak-Saudi Joint Ministerial Commission headed by Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Commerce and Investment, Dr Majid Bin Al-Qasabi who called on him here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr (President Office).
He underscored that there should be a regular exchange of meetings between the investors and businessmen of both the countries. It will open up new avenues of investment and will further boost the relations between the two countries, he added.
Minister for Commerce Mohammad Pervaiz Malik, Minister for Defence Khurram Dastgir Khan, Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Commodore Nawaf Saeed Ahmed Al-Malki and senior officials were also present in the meeting.
This high-level delegation was visiting Pakistan to participate in the 11th session of Pak-Saudi Arabia Joint Ministerial Commission.
The president said Saudi Arabia is our true friend and a brotherly country, while every Pakistani considered Saudi Arabia as his second home. Both countries were connected with each other through religious, cultural and economic linkages, which provides an impetus to the bilateral ties, he added.
He emphasized that Pak-Saudi Arabia relations are of special importance and there is a great atmosphere of trust and love between the two countries which serves as an example for the world.
The president said Saudi vision 2030 has great significance and it will play an important role in further strengthening the economy of Saudi Arabia. He pointed out that Pakistan was one of the best countries in terms of investment opportunities and Saudi investors could benefit from the investment opportunities in the fields of energy, construction and agriculture.
He recalled his recent visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with King Salman bin Abdul Aziz in which important matters of bilateral interest were discussed.
The president pointed out that Saudi Arabia was home to as many as 2.6 million Pakistanis who considered the Kingdom as their second home.
He said those Pakistanis had substantially contributed to the socio-economic development of Saudi Arabia and acted as a strong human bridge between the two countries. He thanked King Salman bin Abdul Aziz for taking good care of the Pakistani community.
Dr Majid Bin Al-Qasabi apprised the president that important decisions were made during the Joint Ministerial Commission’s meeting, that would have a far-reaching impact.
