Saudi Arabia and Pakistan hold talks in Islamabad on Friday, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. The high-level delegations discussed ways of deepening bilateral cooperation between the two states, especially in the fast-growing renewable energy sector and mining industry.
Refining, mining and renewable energy were the central topics of discussion between Saudi Arabian and Pakistan officials. The Pakistani side was represented in the talks by Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan, while the Saudi delegation was headed by Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Mining Affairs Khaled bin Saleh Al-Mudaifer.
At the outset of the talks, Mr Ayub Khan welcomed the Saudi delegation, stressing that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Saudi Arabia, its closest and long-time partner. According to Mr Ayub Khan, relations with the Kingdom cannot be compared with relations with any other country.
Amid the growing popularity of green energy, the issue of the renewable sources became extremely important for Pakistan. On Friday, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy has appointed former ARAMCO senior executive Faisal Abdullah Al-Yemni as head of its Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO).
For Pakistan, driving the delivery of the Kingdom’s ambitious National Renewable Energy Program is also an important aspect. Pakistan hails the cooperation in this industry to learn how to meet domestic needs while also cooperating with a world-leading exporter and regional hub of renewable technology and manufacturing.
Pakistan considers its relations with Saudi Arabia as long-standing fraternal relations rooted in the depth of history and have multiple economic, political and strategic dimensions.
