UPDATE - Pakistan’s premier, Qatari emir meet in Islamabad

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan’s prime minister on Saturday met Qatari emir, who earlier arrived in Islamabad on an official visit.

According to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan’s Imran Khan and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held one-on-one meeting, followed by delegation-level talks.

It said the two sides agreed on taking steps to significantly increase bilateral trade, expand collaboration in agriculture and food sectors, enhance cooperation in energy sector, in the fields of aviation, maritime affairs, defense and defense production.

They also exchanged views on the regional situation and efforts to facilitate the Afghan peace process, according to the statement.

Following the official talks, the two sides signed three memorandums of understanding (MoU) on establishment of Pakistan and Qatar Joint Working Group on Trade Investment, on cooperation in the fields of tourism and financial intelligence.

Earlier, Al Thani arrived on a two-day official visit to Pakistan at the invitation of Khan.

Al Thani together with a high-level delegation landed at Islamabad’s Noor Khan airbase, where a red carpet was rolled out for him. Khan and senior ministers of his Cabinet received the Qatari emir.

Saqar bin Mubarak Al Mansouri, Qatar's ambassador to Pakistan, said the visit will contribute in strengthening bilateral relations and will establish a partnership-based ties between Doha and Islamabad.

"The relations between the two countries have significantly developed in recent years in energy and economy. The establishment of direct maritime route between Karachi and Doha has helped in increasing the volume of trade between the two countries," Saqar said in a video message.

The Qatari emir will meet Pakistani president Arif Alvi on Sunday.