PM Shehbaz to attend 'One Water Summit' in Riyadh on Dec 3-4

• PM to address roundtable on preservation of fresh water resources.
• FO says premier to hold meetings on summit's sidelines.
• PM chairs meeting to review progress on Pak-KSA projects.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to pay a two-day visit to Riyadh on December 3-4, 2024 to participate in the "One Water Summit".

A joint initiative of Saudi Arabia, France, Kazakhstan, and the World Bank, the summit aims to promote global cooperation and a coherent international approach towards water resource management through high-level political commitments, according to a curtain raiser issued by the Foreign Office on Monday.

At the summit, the prime minister will deliver a keynote address at a roundtable focusing on restoration, preservation, and adaptation in the context of fresh water resources and wetlands.

He will also highlight the steps being taken by Pakistan to promote water conservation, strengthen climate resilience, improve water quality, create livelihoods, and conserve biodiversity.

PM Shehbaz will underline the importance of international cooperation to tackle the impact of climate-induced floods, erratic and extreme weather patterns, and heat stress on water resources and ecosystems.

He will also call for meaningful international collaboration for sustainable water resource management.

On the sidelines of the event, the prime minister is expected to hold bilateral meetings and engagements.

'Remarkable progress on Saudi investments'

Separately, PM Shehbaz expressed satisfaction over the progress in cooperation and investment projects between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, hailing the longstanding friendship between the two nations.

Chairing a review meeting earlier today, the prime minister highlighted that Pakistan’s collaboration with Saudi Arabia continued to grow across various sectors, underscoring the strategic partnership between the two countries.

"Saudi Arabia has been a reliable partner in Pakistan's challenging times, and we are committed to deepening this cooperation," the premier said.

The meeting also included a briefing on the remarkable progress of bilateral investments.

The meeting was briefed about the progress on bilateral cooperation in various fields in the second meeting of the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Joint Task Force held in November.

It was informed that within a short span of time, both countries had signed 34 memoranda of understanding (MoUs), seven of which have already been formalised into agreements. These agreements were valued at $560 million.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Petroleum Dr Musaddik Malik, and National Coordinator of the Special Investment Facilitation Council Lieutenant General Sarfaraz Ahmed.