Seven MoUs, agreements signed

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman arrived here on a two-day state visit on Sunday, as the two countries singed seven MoUs/agreements/executive programmes for Saudi invvestment in different sectors Upon his arrival at Noor Khan Air Base, the Crown Prince was received by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the three Services Chiefs and the cabinet ministers. The Royal guest was accorded a red-carpet welcome with 21-gun salute. The prime minister drove the Crown Prince to the Prime Minister House where an official welcome ceremony was arranged.
At the official welcome ceremony, national anthems of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were played and the Crown Prince reviewed the guard of honour. The prime minister and the Crown Prince introduced members of their respective delegations.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had a one-on-one meeting with Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The meeting was followed by inaugural session of the Supreme Coordination Council, co-chaired by the prime minister and the Crown Prince, according to the media office of the PM House. The high-powered Supreme Coordination Council was proposed by Prince Mohammad bin Salman during the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia in October 2018. The objective to put in place an high-level institutional mechanism to fast track decisions in key areas of bilateral cooperation, and for close monitoring of their implementation.
The Coordination Council includes respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Defence Production, Finance, Energy, Petroleum, Water Resources, Information, Culture, Interior, Commerce, Trade and Investment and Human Resources of both countries. The Council will cover areas under three pillars: political and security, economic, social and culture.
Under the Supreme Coordination Council, a Steering Committee and Joint Working Groups have been set up at Ministerial and Senior Officials levels, to develop frameworks of cooperation in specific projects and submit recommendations to the respective ministers.
The functioning of the Supreme Council will be coordinated by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries. The Supreme Council will meet annually, in Riyadh and Islamabad alternately. The meeting was followed by signing of seven MoUs/Agreements/Executive Programmes at a signing ceremony witnessed by the Prime Minister and Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
The MoUs/Agreements cover areas such as standard specifications, mineral resources, investment in refining and petrochemical sectors, power generation, development of renewable energy projects, and cooperation in the field of youth and sports. The documents were signed by the ministers of foreign affairs, finance, power division, inter-provincial coordination, and petroleum division.
These agreements will lay the foundation for enhanced economic cooperation between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said a statement issued by Foreign Office after the signing ceremony.
The signing ceremony was also witnessed by ministers of both countries and delegations also attended the ceremony. The Saudi Crown Prince accompanied by a high-powered delegation comprising members of the Royal family, cabinet ministers and leading Saudi businessmen arrived in Pakistan at invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
At 6:10pm, when the plane of Crown Prince was entered in Pakistani airspace, it was taken in protective circle by the F-16 and JF-17. During the day ahead of Crown Prince''s arrival in Islamabad, 11 special planes of Saudi Airlines carrying members of Saudi delegations arrived in Pakistan. Earlier, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir arrived here in a separate plane who was received by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki and Pakistan''s Ambassador in Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz were also present among other officials.
Talking to the state media at Noor Khan Air Base, Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed the confidence that visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman will add a new chapter to bilateral relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, adding that such a high-level delegation is coming after the gap of 15 years.
He said that the visit will help strengthen economic partnership between the two countries, adding that relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have always been cordial and exemplary.
Qureshi said that the Supreme Coordination Council in its inaugural meeting will turn the ties into economic strategic relationship between the two countries. He pointed out that Saudi Arabia has also announced reduction in visa fee which will help Pakistanis visiting the Kingdom, adding that Pakistan has also relaxed its visa policy and Saudi nationals will be given visas on arrival. "This will help in boosting the trade activities", he added. To a question, he said that Pakistan will welcome Saudi investment in special economic zones (SEZs) under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), adding that Gwadar port will become a hub of economic activities in the future.