Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that he was looking forward to his visit to Pakistan, a statement from the South Asian country said.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had a warm and cordial meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud this evening on the sidelines of the One Water Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” it said.

The crown prince spoke of his “great pleasure” at meeting the PM for the fifth time over the past six months. “This was the evidence of the genuine love and affection that connect the peoples of the two countries,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.

Both leaders agreed that it was necessary for the two countries to bring about a “qualitative change” in their economic, trade and investment relationship.

The crown prince stressed that it was important to ensure that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enhance “meaningful cooperation” that would bring about economic growth and prosperity in Pakistan.

Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the pace of progress of the implementation of the Saudi MOUs and agreements regarding investment in Pakistan.

PM Shehbaz thanked the crown prince for his “most genuine affection” for the people of Pakistan. He reiterated his invitation to the crown prince to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience. To this, the crown prince expressed his eagerness to visit Pakistan.

PM Shehbaz meets French President Macron

PM Shehbaz Sharif also held a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of the summit.

He congratulated Macron on the successful co-hosting of the One Water Summit in Riyadh. While commending France’s leadership role on climate change and development issues, the premier recalled with appreciation the French president’s “strong advocacy” for the people of Pakistan in the wake of the 2022 devastating floods.

Both leaders agreed to enhance Pakistan-France cooperation, especially through business-to-business contacts in the areas of agriculture, livestock, IT, skills development and clean drinking water.

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While expressing satisfaction at its positive trajectory, the two leaders exchanged views on the full spectrum of the Pakistan-France relationship, including political, economic, trade and investment, as well as cooperation at multilateral forums, including the United Nations.

PM Shehbaz stressed the need for further strengthening mutually advantageous economic and trade ties between the two countries and encouraged France to take advantage of investment opportunities in Pakistan, especially in areas of climate adaptation and renewable energy.

Both leaders also reiterated the shared desire of the two sides to remain “closely engaged” on all regional and global issues of mutual interest.