ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar met Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe and US climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum summit in Davos. 

Kakar arrived in Switzerland on Sunday to attend the 54th WEF summit, where he is scheduled to attend three thematic events and also deliver a keynote address. The Pakistani premier is expected to meet key business and political leaders during the summit, which is expected to last till Jan. 19. 

In a picture shared by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Kakar can be seen shaking Kerry’s hand as the two interact. 

“The local and global effects of climate change, especially problems arising from it for developing countries, were discussed in the meeting,” the PMO said in a statement. 

During his meeting with Wickremesinghe, the two leaders spoke about promoting bilateral trade between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and regional issues, the PMO added. 

According to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), the Pakistani premier is scheduled to attend an informal session on global conflict on Wednesday, which will be attended by renowned policymakers, investors, business leaders and experts. 

The state-run media said Kakar’s engagements would also include a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Wednesday. 

The WEF summit takes place as the global economy faces a year of subdued growth prospects and uncertainty stemming from geopolitical strife, tight financing conditions and the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence, according to an annual survey of top economists conducted each year ahead of the WEF meeting in the Swiss resort of Davos and released on Monday.

Over 60 heads of state and government, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, are attending Davos this year to hold both public appearances and closed-door talks. They will be among more than 2,800 attendees, including academics, artists, and international organization leaders.

The gathering is a venue to connect decision-makers in an array of fields and industries but is often panned by critics as an emblem of the yawning gap between the rich and the poor: Young Swiss Socialists staged a rally Sunday to blast the forum and brand attendees as “the richest and most powerful, who are responsible for today’s wars and crises.”