ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has met with his Qatari counterpart Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari and discussed with him bilateral cooperation in trade and investment, the Pakistani finance ministry said on Tuesday.
The finance minister has been on a visit to Qatar to hold discussions in connection with the Qatari investment in Pakistan, which are likely to centered around Doha’s takeover of administrative control of three major Pakistani airports.
The Pakistani government this month said it had planned to outsource operations of three major airports in the country to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"Finance Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, met with H.E. Mr. Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Minister of Finance, State of Qatar and discussed different areas of mutual interest and avenues to enhance cooperation in the fields of trade, finance, and investment," the Pakistani finance ministry said on Twitter.
Dar also met a delegation of QTerminals, a Qatari terminal operating firm, according to the finance ministry.
"Dar met with the delegation of QTerminals, headed by Mr. Neville Bissett, group CEO of QTerminals, in Doha, Qatar and discussed avenues of cooperation in the field of logistics and port operations," it added.
Pakistan has desperately been looking for external finance to support its depleting foreign exchange reserves, amid currency devaluation and decades-high inflation.
Islamabad previously said the move to outsource airport operations would improve service standards and bring in the much-needed foreign direct investment.
