Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embarked on a three-day official visit to Egypt on Wednesday to attend the Eleventh Summit of the Developing Eight (D-8) countries being held in Cairo under the theme ‘Investing in Youth and Supporting SMEs: Shaping Tomorrow’s Economy’.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi are accompanying the PM.

“At the Summit, the Prime Minister will underline the importance of investing in youth and SMEs for building a strong and inclusive economy; creating jobs; advancing innovation; and promoting local entrepreneurship,” Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

He will express Pakistan’s strong commitment to the ideals of D-8; underscore the importance of fostering partnerships for mutual benefit and prosperity; and promoting cooperation in agriculture, food security and tourism, added the statement.

The PM will underline Pakistan’s incentives for youth empowerment and financial development.

Moreover, PM Shehbaz will also attend the Special Session of D-8 on the Humanitarian Crisis and Reconstruction Challenges in Gaza and Lebanon to deliberate on the situation resulting from Israeli aggression in the Middle East.

“He will underline Pakistan’s principled position on the situation in Palestine and call for peace in the Middle East,” FO said.