Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to visit Pakistan on 17, 18 Feb: FO
The Crown Prince will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman will visit Pakistan on 17 and 18 February, says a press release issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.
"His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will visit Pakistan on 17-18 February 2019. The visit programme remains unchanged," asserted FO.
The Crown Prince will be accompanied by a high-powered delegation including members of the Saudi Royal family, key ministers and leading businessmen.
This will be the first state-level visit of the dignitary to Pakistan since his elevation to the position of the Crown Prince in April 2017.
During his visit, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman will call on the President Dr. Arif Alvi. He will also meet PM Imran and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
A Senate delegation will also call on the Crown Prince to discuss ways to enhance parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. The Saudi Ministers accompanying the Crown Prince will meet their counterparts to discuss bilateral cooperation in their respective fields.
During his stay, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will be signing a number of agreements and MoUs in diverse sectors.
The two countries will also discuss ways and means to develop a robust follow-up mechanism to ensure effective implementation and quick progress on tangible areas of cooperation.
Chairing a meeting in connection with visit of Saudi Crown Prince, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that a historic welcome will be given to the Saudi Crown Prince and his delegation on their arrival in Islamabad.
10 MoUs including $10 bln Oil refinery to be signed
Federal Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan says visit of Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman is success of economic diplomacy between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
In a press release issued in Islamabad on Friday, he said ten MoUs including one on a $10 billion Oil refinery and petrochemical complex to be signed with the Saudi Government during the visit.
Ghulam Sarwar Khan said previous governments build personal relations with Saudi Arabia and China whereas under the vision of a new Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has focused on developing based on mutual respect and national interests.
He said the Saudi side has indicated that the capacity of proposed oil refinery will be between 250,000-300,000 bpd (11-13 million tons per annum) and initially both sides will study the feasibility of the proposed project after signing the MOU.
Federal Minister for Petroleum said the visiting side has also shown interest in mines, minerals, fertilizers, phosphate and LNG storage capacity.
He said the Saudi side has also expressed strong interest in exploring investment opportunities in Pakistan’s Petrochemical sector which was termed as a ‘game changer’ and would result in savings of $ 1.2 billion per annum in import substitution.
MoU on Combating organized crime
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will also sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Combatting organized crime.
In a tweet on Friday, Spokesperson Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan Dr Mohammad Faisal said the MoU will be inked during the visit of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
The Spokesperson said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will also sign an agreement in the field of Youth and sports during the visit.
