DOHA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday underscored Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening defence cooperation and expanding bilateral collaboration with Qatar during meetings in Doha.
The prime minister met with Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, where the two sides discussed bilateral cooperation in defence and security and reaffirmed their strong and historic ties.
Shehbaz Sharif, who is on a two-day official visit to Doha, expressed satisfaction over ongoing collaboration between the armed forces of both countries. The Qatari deputy prime minister appreciated the professionalism and expertise of Pakistan’s armed forces and conveyed Doha’s interest in deepening defence partnership.
Regional developments, particularly the situations in Iran and Afghanistan, also came under discussion. Both sides emphasised dialogue, de-escalation and collective efforts to promote peace and stability in the region.
Separately, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed called on the prime minister. The meeting reviewed bilateral trade and economic cooperation and expressed satisfaction over growing momentum in Pakistan-Qatar relations.
Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the need to enhance trade volumes and diversify Pakistan’s exports to Qatar, particularly in agricultural produce, food items and value-added goods. He also pointed to investment-friendly reforms and the role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council in attracting foreign investment.
Dr Al-Sayed, who also chairs the Pak-Qatar Joint Business Taskforce, reiterated Qatar’s interest in expanding economic cooperation and strengthening private-sector linkages. Both sides agreed to convene a meeting of the task force during Ramadan to discuss concrete investment proposals for Qatari investment in Pakistan.
The engagements reflected the shared resolve of Pakistan and Qatar to further elevate their strategic partnership across defence, trade and investment.
