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QNADohaPrime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif affirmed Wednesday that his country was keen to build solid strategic relations with Qatar in various sectors in light of the growing development in bilateral relations and the big capabilities that both countries have.In an interview with the Qatar News Agency (QNA), the prime minister, who is now on an official visit to Qatar, said, “The relations between Pakistan and Qatar have seen a steady and positive trajectory over the last few years.... We want to transform our historical and fraternal bilateral relationship into a more robust strategic relationship by enhancement of economic cooperation in diverse fields of mutual interest.”Appreciating Qatar’s unrelenting multi-field support for his country, the prime minister said, “Both nations have a rich history of cooperation in the bilateral domain as well as on multilateral forums”, adding the Qatar-Pakistan ties were “rooted deep in shared faith, mutual understanding and convergence of interests.”“The relationship between Qatar and Pakistan is based on mutual trust and shared goal of achieving prosperity for our peoples. We have had excellent cooperation in various fields, including energy, manpower export, and people-to-people linkages in the past as well.”He appraised his current visit as an opportunity to “further strengthen the brotherly ties between Pakistan and Qatar, with particular focus on enhancing cooperation in the fields of energy, investment, labour and tourism.“There is great potential and opportunities for transformation of these ties into a more robust partnership. We need to explore new ventures of cooperation in sectors, including renewable energy, food security, industrial and infrastructure development and hospitality sector,” he affirmed.The PM stressed that his visit comes at a time when the world is facing grave economic challenges including “the slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and geo-political tensions and conflicts in parts of the world.....the skyrocketing of fuel and food prices” that impacted developing countries including Pakistan, expressing hopes the “visit will provide an opportunity for Pakistan and Qatar to coordinate on addressing these shared challenges, and explore avenues for further cooperation and collaboration.”Commenting on the upcoming world cup championship due to be hosted by Qatar as the first-ever tournament to be held in the Middle East, he said, “It is a matter of pride that Qatar is going to host the FIFA World Cup 2022. Pakistan is proud of the contribution made by Pakistanis in organizing this mega event. We are also proud of the fact that the football “Al-Rihla” which would be used in the upcoming World Cup is made in Pakistan.”He praised the Qatari endeavours to promote and back security and peace in the region and the world, saying “Qatar’s mediation initiatives on some of the most complex and intractable issues (from Afghanistan to the Middle East to Africa) have reinforced Qatar’s peace-making and peace-building credentials.”In this context, the Pakistan PM appreciated Qatar’s roles to enhance peace and stability in Afghanistan. “Qatar has played a crucial role in the Afghan Peace Process. Qatar’s early decision to provide a political window to the Taliban, through their Doha political office, eventually became international community’s main communication channel with the Taliban. We deeply appreciate the role played by Qatar in signing of the Doha Accords. We are also appreciative of the humanitarian assistance provided by the State of Qatar to the people of Afghanistan,” he said, stressing that both countries “believe that humanitarian efforts should continue in Afghanistan.”Voicing support for all initiatives seeking to bring about peace in Afghanistan, he said, “In terms of the security situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan firmly believes that a peaceful, stable, prosperous and connected Afghanistan is in our best interest.”“From the outset, Pakistan has stressed that there has to be constructive engagement between the international community and Afghanistan for the sake of 40 million Afghan people. We have also underscored that the Interim Afghan authorities have to be responsive on the expectations of the international community on issues such as inclusivity, respect for human rights and girls’ education, and effective counter-terrorism actions. Continued communication and engagement can increase mutual understanding and help advance shared goals.“Pakistan stands by its Afghan brethren in these tough times marked by the dire humanitarian situation and economic crisis”, warning that “instability in Afghanistan can cause spillover effects in the region and beyond.”Commenting on his country’s endeavours to address the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, he said, “Pakistan provided humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, including in the aftermath of the recent earthquake. The Government of Pakistan organized the 17th Extraordinary Session of OIC on the grave humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and proposed a trust fund dedicated to humanitarian uplift in Afghanistan. The Government of Pakistan is also disbursing assistance worth Rs. 5 billion in support of the Afghan people.”He also affirmed that his country has “the most liberal and open investment regimes where investors can freely move their assets and earnings”, highlighting the “special incentives to investors” in the country’s Special Economic Zones.Regarding the Pakistan-Gulf relations, he said, “Pakistan has always maintained close fraternal relations with the brotherly countries in the Gulf Region. These relations are deeply rooted in commonalities, including shared history, culture and faith.”“Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with all GCC countries, as enshrined in our constitution; to preserve and strengthen fraternal relations among countries based on Islamic unity, support the common interests of the peoples, promote peace and security, and encourage the settlement of disputes by peaceful means,” he said, stressing that peace and stability in the Gulf region “remain Pakistans key priority.”He affirmed his country’s support for joint efforts to overcome the challenges facing the Muslim countries.“Pakistan has always supported mutually beneficial cooperation among Muslim countries... Pakistan attaches high importance to the causes of the Ummah,” he said.
