Pakistan PM Sharif to Attend World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia

Islamabad, Apr 26 (PTI) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would travel to Saudi Arabia on Sunday to attend the World Economic Forum and also hold bilateral meetings with world leaders, it was announced on Friday.

The World Economic Forum's (WEF) Special Meeting on ‘Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy' will be held on April 28 and 29 in Riyadh in the Gulf nation.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar would accompany the prime minister to a key moot, for which they had been invited by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and WEF founder and Chief Executive Professor Klaus Schwab, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at the weekly briefing here.

“High-level participation in the forum will afford an important opportunity to present Pakistan's priorities, specifically in global health architecture, inclusive growth, revitalising regional collaboration and the need for striking a balance between promoting growth and energy consumption,” she said.

Sharif and Dar would also hold bilateral meetings with world leaders, heads of international bodies and other leading personalities on the margins of the event, she added.

Separately, sources said that Prime Minister Sharif would also have interaction with the Saudi Crown Prince to discuss Saudi investment in Pakistan. The two sides are expected to sign an agreement towards the same.

Meanwhile, Baloch said the prime minister would also participate in the 15th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit being held in Banjul, Gambia on May 4-5, adding that the summit was being convened at a “critical time for the Muslim ummah as the war on the people of Gaza continues unabated.