ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan performed the Umrah pilgrimage with his delegation on the first day of a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, state-run APP news agency reported on Sunday.
Khan arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and was received by Deputy Governor of Madina, Prince Saud bin Khalid Al-Faisal, the PM Office said in a Twitter post. This is Khan’s second visit to Saudi Arabia this year. He visited the kingdom last in May and signed several agreements.
“PM performs Umrah; prays for peace, prosperity of Pakistan, Muslim Ummah,” APP said.
PM performs Umrah; prays for peace, prosperity of Pakistan, Muslim Ummah #APPNews #Pakistan #PMImrankhan #PMIKinKSA @PakPMO @ImranKhanPTI @PakinSaudiArab https://t.co/gFLu7DfcO4
— APP (@appcsocialmedia) October 24, 2021
Top of the agenda for the prime minister's Saudi visit is attending the inaugural ceremony of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Summit being held in Riyadh on Monday.
“The first of their kind in the Middle East Region, ‘Green Saudi Arabia’ and ‘Green Middle East’ initiatives were launched by the Crown Prince in March 2021 aimed at protecting the nature and planet,” APP said.
At the MGI summit, Khan will speak about challenges faced by developing countries due to climate change and highlight Pakistan’s experience of launching nature-based solutions to address environmental concerns, including the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami tree planation project, a flagship of his government.
“Besides meeting the Saudi leadership, the prime minister will also participate in an event on the promotion of investment in Pakistan and interact with leading investors and businessmen from Saudi Arabia and Pakistani diaspora,” APP said.
On Saturday, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia said the world’s top oil exporter aimed to reach zero-net emissions by 2060 and more than doubled its annual target to reduce carbon emissions to almost 280 million tons.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was speaking in recorded remarks at the Saudi Green Initiative, which comes ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or COP26, in Glasgow from Oct. 31 — Nov. 12, that hopes to agree on deeper emissions cuts to tackle global warming.
Riyadh, a signatory to the Paris climate pact, on Saturday set out details of its nationally determined contributions (NDCs) — goals for individual states under global efforts to prevent average global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The United States and the EU want Saudi Arabia to join a global initiative on slashing emissions of methane by 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030.
US climate envoy John Kerry will also attend the wider Middle East green summit Riyadh is hosting on Monday.
