Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia this weekend. The three-day trip will begin on October 23.
He will be visiting the Kingdom at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the PM’s adviser on the Middle East affairs Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi said. This will be Khan’s second visit to Saudi Arabia this year.
Khan is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the Saudi leadership. He will also attend the Middle East Green Initiative summit being held in Riyadh on October 25.
In March this year, the Saudi leadership launched the Saudi Green and Middle East Green initiatives aimed to collectively plant 50 billion trees across the Middle East, cut carbon emissions in the region by 60 per cent and shift to renewable energy by 2030. The summit will convene international and regional leaders to spur collective climate action.
The Pakistan premier, who is among the world’s most vocal proponents for climate action, has launched several green initiatives including the 10 billion tree plantation project, e-vehicle, renewable and ecosystem restoration projects. Pakistan recently joined the global pledge to cut emissions of methane gas to slow the warming of the planet and announced an ambitious new target to cut down the national carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.
During the visit, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are expected to sign accords to improve bilateral collaboration in environmental, climate change, renewable energy and forestry sectors.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the PM’s adviser on climate change Malik Amin Aslam and Ashrafi are expected to be part of PM Khan’s delegation.
