Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said Pakistan attaches great significance to its bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia and desires to further strengthen ties with the country. The Prime Minister was speaking to newsmen at an Iftar dinner hosted by Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Aziz Bin Ibrahim Bin Saleh Al-Ghadeer at his residence here on Thursday. Gilani said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy excellent relations which are multi-dimensional and not limited to the two governments but were also at people to people level. Al-Ghadeer said the close geographical proximity, historic trade ties, religious affinity and the complementary nature of economic needs have created a strong bondage of trust between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi ambassador said Saudi investors consider Pakistan as a potential investment destination with particular interest in agriculture and petroleum sectors. He also highlighted the boom in development in Saudi Arabia, which will continue for the next few years and emphasized on good opportunities available in these projects for Pakistani businessmen and manpower alike. Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mian Shaukat Masud said many sectors of Pakistan's economy like energy, oil and gas, infrastructure development, minerals, agriculture etc offer plenty of investment opportunities and investors of Saudi Arabia should explore these areas for enhancing their investment and business interests in Pakistan. He said Pakistan greatly values its relations with Saudi Arabia and is keen to further strengthen ties in the economic, commerce and investment sectors. He further said Pak-Saudi annual bilateral trade has crossed $4 billion, but still it is much below the potential found in two countries. He said Saudi investment in natural resources found in Balochistan, NWFP and Sindh will create beneficial results for both the countries. Chief Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry Islamabad Office Mian Akram Farid said enhanced direct interaction between businessmen of the two countries could be the best option for increasing bilateral trade and economic relations and urged that both countries should work for facilitating frequent exchange of business delegations to explore new areas of mutual cooperation.
