DR. GOHAR EJAZ, MINISTER OF COMMERCE, INTERIOR, INDUSTRIES & PRODUCTION, INVESTMENT, AND OVERSEAS PAKISTANIS AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT UNDERTOOK AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA ON 21-22 FEBRUARY 2024. DR. EJAZ LED A HIGH-POWERED DELEGATION OF LEADERS OF TOP BUSINESS HOUSES FROM PAKISTAN AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS INCLUDING PUNJAB’S INVESTMENT MINISTER MR. S.M. TANVEER AND OTHER SENIOR OFFICIALS FROM THE MINISTRIES OF COMMERCE, INTERIOR, BOARD OF INVESTMENT, AND THE FEDERATION OF PAKISTAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY.
DURING THE VISIT, THE MINISTER HELD BILATERAL MEETINGS WITH H.R.H. PRINCE ABDUL AZIZ BIN SAUD BIN NAIF BIN ABDUL AZIZ AL SAUD, MINISTER OF INTERIOR; DR. MAJID BIN ABDULLAH AL-KASSABI, MINISTER OF COMMERCE; AND ENG. KHALID BIN ABDULAZIZ AL-FALIH, MINISTER OF INVESTMENT. HE ALSO MET MR. MOHAMMED AL-JADAAN, THE SAUDI FINANCE MINISTER AND HELD A MEETING WITH DR. MOHAMMAD BIN ABDULKARIM AL-ISSA, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE MUSLIM WORLD LEAGUE. PRINCE MANSOUR BIN MUHAMMAD BIN SAAD AL-SAUD, HOSTED A DINNER IN HONOUR OF THE MINISTER AND HIS DELEGATION AT HIS RESIDENCE IN DIRRIYAH, RIYADH.
DURING HIS BILATERAL ENGAGEMENTS WITH THE MINISTERS OF COMMERCE AND INVESTMENT, DR. GOHAR EJAZ WAS ALSO ACCOMPANIED BY SOME MEMBERS OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR DELEGATION INCLUDING MR. ARIF HABIB (ARIF HABIB GROUP), MR. FAWAD MUKHTAR (FATIMA FERTILIZERS), MR. MUHAMMAD ALI TABBA (LUCKY GROUP), MR. RAZA JAFFAR (GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY NETWORK), MR. SHAHID SOORTY (SOORTY ENTERPRISES), MR. BASHIR JAN MUHAMMAD (DALDA FOODS LTD.), MR. ASIM SIDDIQUI (PAKISTAN INTERMODAL LIMITED), MR. SHAHBAZ MALIK (HILTON PHARMA), AND MR. ANWAR GHANI (GHANI GLASS).
DR. MAJID AL-KASSABI, SAUDI COMMERCE MINISTER, UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANCE OF STRENGTHENING BUSINESS AND TRADE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES AND APPRECIATED THE EFFORTS OF DR. EJAZ FOR BRINGING AN IMPORTANT BUSINESS DELEGATION TO RIYADH. HE OFFERED HIS MINISTRY’S SUPPORT FOR CONNECTING PAKISTANI BUSINESSES WITH THE RIGHT SAUDI PARTNERS AND ENCOURAGED FREQUENT EXCHANGE OF VISITS BETWEEN THE PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES FROM BOTH SIDES.
ENG. KHALID AL-FALIH, MINISTER OF INVESTMENT OF THE KINGDOM, ACKNOWLEDGED THE IMPORTANCE OF B2B INTERACTIONS FOR PAVING THE WAY FOR LONG TERM BUSINESS RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PRIVATE SECTORS OF BOTH COUNTRIES. HE ALSO SUGGESTED A FOLLOW-UP ACTION PLAN FOR TAKING FORWARD THE DISCUSSIONS ON KEY INITIATIVES DISCUSSED DURING THE MEETING.
ONE OF THE MAIN HIGHLIGHTS OF THE VISIT WAS HOLDING OF A SAUDI-PAKISTAN BUSINESS FORUM IN RIYADH ON 21 FEBRUARY 2024, WHICH WAS ORGANIZED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SAUDI MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, GENERAL AUTHORITY OF FOREIGN TRADE, AND THE SAUDI FEDERATION OF CHAMBERS. THE FOCUS OF THE EVENT WAS TO CONNECT PAKISTAN’S TOP TIER BUSINESS LEADERSHIP WITH THEIR SAUDI COUNTERPARTS. SECTORS THAT WERE WELL REPRESENTED ON BOTH SIDES INCLUDED PETROCHEMICALS, FERTILIZERS AND CHEMICALS, FOOD, IT, INVESTMENTS, TEXTILE, AND REAL ESTATE.
OTHER PRIVATE SECTOR DELEGATION INCLUDED MR. SIDDIQUE J. BHATTI (US APPAREL), MR. KAMAL NASIR KHAN (SKB ENGINEERING), MR. SHAHID ABDULLAH (SAPPHIRE), AND MIAN SHAUKAT AHMED (MIAN NAZIR SONS).
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