Round Table Ministerial Conference: KSA, Pakistan discuss ways and means to strengthen ties in relation to G2G activities

ISLAMABAD: During the visit of Saudi Business delegates headed by KSA Minister for Investment Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Al Faleh, Round Table Ministerial Conference was held, in which, both the countries reviewed in detail to strengthen more ties in G2G activities.

Addressing this conference, Federal Minister for Board of Investment, Privatisation and Communications Abdul Aleem Khan gave a briefing regarding the best investment opportunities and new trends in the country.

He offered Saudi Investment Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Al Faleh along with the business delegation to come forward and invest in different public sector organisations. He said there were many attractive and profitable projects for Saudi investment in Pakistan. “We will welcome all kinds of partnership and investment in Pakistan from Saudi Arabia even in the mode of Public Private Partnership.”

Addressing the conference, Aleem Khan invited Saudi investors to invest in the profitable projects such as M6 and M9 motorways to develop the communication sector on modern lines.

Aleem Khan and the Saudi delegation discussed mutual cooperation in projects on the basis of “G2G”, while the Saudi business community and government officials expressed their great interest in various investment projects.

On this occasion, Saudi Investment Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Al Faleh expressed special interest in the presentation of Aleem Khan and said that doing something for the people of Pakistan has always been the first priority of the KSA Government and will continue in the future as well to make more joint ventures.

Aleem Khan told the delegation that in order to reduce the distances and make the routes easier, “we want to connect the Karachi Port with the existing Motorway, while the completion of the Karachi-Hyderabad and Sukkur Motorways as soon as possible priority of the present government.”

He further said that it was encouraging that there were more state-owned entities in the pipeline for privatisation which could be immediately profitable.

Aleem Khan clarified that in the last six months significant improvement and refinement process had been introduced in the government departments which had enhanced efficiency.

A reception was also hosted by Aleem Khan in honour of Saudi Investment Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Al Faleh and the Saudi business delegation in which a large number of businessmen including Saudi guests and federal ministers Attaullah Tarar, Jam Kamal Khan, Musadiq Malik and Shiza Fatima were present.

Dignitaries as well as investors from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan along with senior officials and members of business groups also attended.

Aleem Khan welcomed the Saudi delegation to the reception and informed them about the performance of Pakistan’s private sector. He said Saudi Arabia held the hand of Pakistan and the Pakistani people in every difficult time and supported Pakistan even before we requested for it. He said Pakistan’s private sector was making a major contribution to the country’s economy and “now our financial indicators are much improving which is restoring the confidence of business groups and commercial institutions.” He said there was a big scope in Pakistan’s private sector and it was hoped that Saudi Arabia would also participate in important business-to-business and government-to-government projects.

Aleem Khan further said it was very welcome that Pakistan had made 126 countries visa-free for foreign investors. Nawaf Bin Saeed Al-Maliki, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan and senior diplomatic officials especially attended this reception. Saudi Investment Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Al Faleh expressed his best wishes and good gesture for the people of Pakistan and called this reception a memorable event of this visit.

On this occasion, high-level delegation of KSA expressed special interest in the business model presented by Aleem Khan in the reception.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024