Pakistan and Qatar on Tuesday reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthen their strategic partnership and to remain engaged and in contact on bilateral, regional and international current issues.
The development came as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Qatar Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha, according to a handout by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The premier is currently in Qatar on an official visit.
“The two leaders held discussions on bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments. They reaffirmed the strong fraternal ties between Pakistan and Qatar and expressed satisfaction over the growing momentum in political, economic and institutional engagement,” it said.
“Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in trade and investment, energy, defence, labour mobility and cultural collaboration and a joint task force of both countries mandated to accelerate the cooperation in all these areas,” it said.
“Both sides emphasised the importance of implementing decisions taken during recent high-level engagements and institutional mechanisms, including the Joint Ministerial Commission and Bilateral Political Consultations,” it said.
During the meeting, regional issues, including developments in Gaza and broader Gulf security dynamics, were also discussed, it said.
“The prime minister appreciated Qatar’s constructive diplomatic efforts in promoting dialogue and de-escalation in the region,” the statement said.
Both leaders underscored the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes and adherence to international law, including the UN charter, it added.
The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of Pakistan and Qatar to further strengthen their strategic partnership and to remain engaged and in contact on bilateral, regional and international current issues, it concluded.
Earlier, PM Shehbaz had met Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani.
“Regional developments were also discussed, in particular the situation in Iran and Afghanistan. Both sides emphasised the importance of dialogue, de-escalation and collective efforts to promote peace and stability in the region,” said a PMO statement.
According to the handout, the meeting reflected the shared resolve of Pakistan and Qatar to further elevate their strategic partnership across all areas of mutual interest.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral cooperation in defence and security and reaffirmed the strong and historic ties between Pakistan and Qatar, it said.
PM Shehbaz expressed satisfaction over the ongoing collaboration between the armed forces of the two countries. He underscored Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening defence cooperation and expanding collaboration.
Meanwhile, the Qatari official appreciated the professionalism and expertise of the Pakistan armed forces and conveyed Qatar’s interest in deepening defence partnership between the two countries, it said.
Earlier, PM Shehbaz, in a meeting with the minister of state for foreign trade of Qatar, underscored the significance of “enhancing trade volumes” between the two countries.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of the Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi were also present at the meeting.