Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday met Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the Diwan-e-Amiri in Doha and discussed with him the reduction in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) prices and the provision of job opportunities for Pakistani youth in Qatar.
Upon the arrival of the premier, a red carpet was rolled out to welcome him at the Diwan-e-Amiri.
Khan was presented with a guard of honour by the Qatari Emiri guards and the national anthems of both countries were played on the occasion.
On Monday, PM Imran flew to Doha at the invitation of the Qatari emir. He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Adviser to the PM Abdul Razak Dawood, Special Assistant Zulfikar Bukhari, Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Haroon Sharif and chairperson of the task force on energy Nadeem Babar.
Upon his arrival at Hamad International Airport in Doha, the prime minister was received by Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi.
Bilateral relations, with a focus on economic cooperation between the two countries, were discussed during the meeting. He also attended a dinner hosted by the Qatari PM. He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and others.
The Qatari foreign minister in a meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last year had offered 100,000 jobs for skilled and semi-skilled workers from Pakistan.
PM Imran has also previously called for increased trade between the two countries as well.
The trade between the two countries had increased by 104 per cent to about $1.6 billion in 2017 from $782 million in 2016.
Moreover, the government decided to request Qatar for a reduction in the price of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and its supplies on delayed payments under the existing 15-year supply contract. The government has been criticizing the contracts signed by the previous Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) government for the import of LNG from the Arab country at a price equivalent to 13.39 per cent of the international benchmark crude oil price.
Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that “the government would abide by the 15-year agreement with Qatar and another 10-year contract with another supplier that became the basis of the final LNG price with Qatar”.
