ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact being held in Paris.
French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting the summit on Thursday and Friday to pin down a roadmap for easing the debt burdens of low-income countries while freeing up more funds for climate financing.
Pakistan last year suffered deadly floods in which over 30 million people were affected and at least 1,700 killed.
Last year, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdom would contribute $2.5 billion to a green initiative in the Middle East over the next 10 years, and host its headquarters. The Middle East Green Initiative is part of efforts to reduce regional carbon emissions.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact being held in Paris, France,” a statement from the government of Pakistan said on Thursday.
“During the meeting, the two leaders discussed matters of mutual interest and agreed to further enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries.”
Sharif will also hold meetings in Paris with several heads of state and deliver a speech to highlight Pakistan’s position on the need for restructuring international financial institutions.
Some 40 leaders, including about a dozen from Africa, China’s prime minister and Brazil’s president, are currently in the French capital, joined by international organizations, civil society and private sector actors for a summit that aims to forge a top-level consensus on how to progress a number of initiatives currently struggling in bodies like the G20, IMF-World Bank and United Nations.
