and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had extended him the invitation for it.
The Emir said Qatar attaches great importance to its relations with Pakistan and that it is a very important country not only for Qatar but also for the region. He expressed the confidence that his visit will open many doors for strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The Emir said Qatar would also positively look into opportunities available in Pakistan for investment including the energy sector. Both sides also agreed to enhance exchange of visits at various levels to promote bilateral relations and for following upon the decisions taken by the two leaders.
The Emir was accompanied by a high-level delegation, including cabinet ministers, chairman of Qatar Airways and senior government officials.
During the delegation level talks both sides discussed ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields including energy, investment, trade, defence and manpower. Regional and global issues of mutual interest and concern also came under discussion. The Qatar delegation comprised Dr Khaled Bin Mohamed Al-Attiya, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Dr. Mohammed Saleh Al-Sada; Minister for Energy & Industry; Ali Shareef Al-Emadi, Minister for Finance; Sheikh Ahmed Bin Jassem Bin Mohammed Al-Tahni, Minister for Economy and Trade; Sheikh Khaled Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Chief the Emiri Dewan; Ali Bin Fahd Al-Hajri, Secretary of the Emir for Political Affairs; Akber Al-Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways; Mohammed Bin Nasser Al-Hajri, Director of Studies and Research Deptt; and Saqr Bin Mubarak Al-Mansouri, Ambassador of Qatar.
From the Pakistani side the following attended the delegation level talks: Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Defence/ Water & Power; Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Finance; Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister for Petroleum; Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to PM on National Security; Syed Tariq Fatemi, SAPM; Capt Shujaat Azim, SAPM; the foreign secretary and Pakistan’s ambassador to Qatar.
The two sides also signed three agreements to further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation existing between the two countries in various fields. These included Agreement of Cooperation in the field of Culture (Signed by Federal Minister for Information Pervaiz Rashid and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar Dr Khaled bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah), Memorandum of Understanding in the field of Youth and Sports (Signed by Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada and Dr Khaled bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah) and First Executive Programme for Cooperation in the Fields of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research for the Cultural, Scientific, Technical, Educational and Media Cooperation Agreement (Signed by Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada and Dr Khaled bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah)
Later, the prime minister hosted a banquet in honour of the Emir which was attended by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, cabinet ministers, services chiefs, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Leader of Opposition in Senate Aitzaz Ahsan, Leader of House in Senate Raja Zafar ul Haq, Political Secretary to PM Dr Syed Asif Saeed Kirmani, members of Qatari delegation along with senior government officials.
PPI adds: Immediately after his arrival in Islamabad, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani met President Mamnoon Hussain at Aiwan-e-Sadr.They exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interests. The two leaders had discussion on prospects of cooperation in trade, energy and investment sectors.
The president and Emir of Qatar agreed on the need to increase cooperation in different sectors. Mamnoon Hussain referred to the current level of trade between the two countries and said there is great potential to jack it up further.
The Emir of Qatar said his country wants a stable and secure Pakistan and would extend all possible cooperation for the purpose. He said his visit symbolises closer ties between the two countries.Sheikh Tamim said doors of his country are open for Pakistani experts.