High-level Saudi trade delegation to reach today

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: A high-level trade delegation from Saudi Arabia is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on Sunday (today) to explore investment opportunities in different sectors as well as to forge strong bonds with local entrepreneurs.

According to Petroleum Minister Musadiq Malik, the 50-member delegation includes representatives of about 35 companies in the Kingdom representing various economic sectors.

The minister said 76 Pakistani business companies have been shortlisted in this regard, adding that cooperation between Islamabad and Riyadh will be increased at the government and private levels. The ministry had selected a large number of Pakistani companies in the respective sectors whose officials would have business-to-business meetings with their Saudi counterparts, and would hopefully enter into business and investment deals, he added.

Earlier, the Ministry of Commerce official had said the business delegation would also participate in the Pak-Saudi Investment Conference. He said that Saudi Arabia was an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities, however, it was now undergoing a transformation to reduce oil dependence, diversify income sources and enhance competitiveness under the Vision 2030.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday held a bilateral meeting with the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the sidelines of the 15th OIC Islamic Summit Conference, in Banjul, The Gambia.

Noting the importance of the long-standing strategic and economic relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Saudi Foreign Minister reaffirmed the resolve to further enhance economic cooperation and Saudi investments in Pakistan. The Deputy Prime Minister lauded the “Vision 2030”, which aimed at socio-economic transformation of the Kingdom in the 21st century.