ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s energy minister Hammad Azhar accepted the Saudi invitation to attend the Clean and Sustainable Energy Conference next month in the kingdom, said an official statement circulated by the energy ministry in Islamabad on Tuesday.

The Saudi envoy to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Ali-Malki extended the kingdom’s invitation to Pakistan during a meeting with Azhar earlier today in the federal capital.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed to collaborate in a number of areas during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s official visit to the kingdom last May.

“The [Saudi] ambassador acknowledged and lauded the efforts made by the Minister [Hammad Azhar] & his team for Pak-Saudi projects in the energy sector,” said the official statement. “He reaffirmed the commitment of the kingdom to work with Pakistan for strengthening economic bilateral relations between the two brotherly Islamic countries. He also invited the Minister over Clean and Sustainable Energy Conference scheduled next month in Saudi Arabia which the Minister cordially accepted.”

Prior to that, the Pakistani minister apprised the Saudi envoy about the government’s initiatives in the energy sector, including its renewable energy policy.

He also informed the Saudi official of Pakistan’s decision to develop energy infrastructure across the country.

Azhar maintained that the revival of exploration and induction activities in the oil and gas sector of Pakistan was likely to attract significant investment in the country.

The two officials discussed other matters of mutual interest and tried to identify new ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.