Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will embark on a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia starting tomorrow, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel. Sources confirmed that the premier will attend sideline events of COP16 and participate in the Water Summit.
The prime minister will be accompanied by federal ministers Attaullah Tarar, Musadik Malik, and special assistant Tariq Fatemi. The COP16 UN conference on desertification is a crucial global forum, focusing on combating land degradation and responding to drought.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has termed the event a "moonshot moment" for restoring land and tackling the impacts of drought.
The summit, hosted by Saudi Arabia, comes as the Gulf nation promotes itself as an environmental advocate despite criticism for its stance at last week's COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan.
Chairing a meeting in Islamabad on Monday regarding Saudi Arabia's investments in various sectors, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed Pakistan's desire to further expand cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
The PM highlighted that the Kingdom is Pakistan's longstanding friend and has always extended support in difficult times. Shehbaz Sharif expressed satisfaction with the progress of ongoing projects between the two countries.
It was informed that in a short period, thirty-four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on investments have been signed between the two countries. Seven of these have been converted into agreements worth 560 million dollars.
Reporter: Anwar Abbas