SUZHOU: Federal Energy Minister Omar Aub has said that Pakistan is one of the most important countries in the One Belt One Road Project.
“The Karakoram Highway that connects Pakistan and China is one of the pivots of CPEC. Present government is determined to meet the future energy needs of the country’,” said while delivering a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Ministerial Conference- held today in Suzhou, China.
The ministerial conference was organized by the Chinese government as a principal preparatory step to inaugurate Belt and Road Energy Partnership in 2019.
The Partnership will include nearly seventy countries and will seek to address issues of energy security, diversification, and innovation amongst participating countries. Notable speakers at the opening session of the Belt and Road Energy Ministerial Conference, included Wang Yong, State Councilor of China; Lou Qinjian, Party Secretary of Jiangsu province and Energy Ministers from several countries.
The conference was attended by senior diplomats, leading power sector companies, entrepreneurs, CEO’s, international organizations, and government officials.
On the sidelines of the conference, Omar Ayub Khan met Azerbaijan’s’ Minister for Energy Parviz Shahbazov.
In the meeting federal minister briefed his counterpart about opportunities that Pakistan’s energy sector was offering to investors and hoped that Azerbaijan would explore Pakistan’s energy sector for both investment and joint collaboration.
Minister Parviz, underscoring Pakistan’s regional importance and appreciating projects such as CASA 1000 and TAPI as well as Pakistan’s energy infrastructure, hoped that both countries will deepen co-operation for mutually advantageous prospects.
During the day-long Conference heads of many leading Chinese companies met Federal Minister, Mr. Omar Ayub Khan and discussed with him potential areas of co-operation for investment in Pakistan’s vibrant and rapidly growing energy sector.
The minister emphasized that Pakistan would be guided by imperatives of transparency, efficiency, and win-win co-operation while seeking investment in the power sector. During the Conference Federal Minister, Omar Ayub was accompanied by Pakistan’s Consul General to Chengdu Muhammad Mudassir Tipu as well as Consul Mahmood.