Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and other top officials during a one-day trip to Doha on Sunday. In their meetings, the foreign minister and the Qatari officials discussed the overall regional situation, as well as the Afghan peace process.
They also discussed increasing cooperation between Qatar and Pakistan in different fields, in addition to other regional and global issues. During his meeting with his Qatari counterpart, the Pakistan’s foreign minister discussed mutual relations. While admiring the capabilities of the existing Pakistani workers in Qatar, the Qatari foreign minister said soon they would provide more Pakistanis with employment opportunities in the Gulf state. The Qatari minister appreciated the positive role and effort of Pakistan in Afghanistan and regional stability. Noting that mutual trade between Qatar and Pakistan has increased over the past year, both foreign ministers agreed on further promoting trade. The visit comes a week after the foreign minister went on a four-nation tour on Monday as part of the government’s policy of outreach in the neighbourhood. The Pakistani delegation also consisted of the foreign secretary and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The delegation earlier visited Afghanistan, Iran, China and Russia from December 24-26, 2018.
Published in Daily Times, December 31st 2018.