PM Shehbaz Arrives in Riyadh for ‘One Water Summit’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend the highly anticipated “One Water Summit,” set to take place on December 3-4.

Upon arrival, the Prime Minister was warmly received at Riyadh’s Royal Airport Terminal by Prince Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Riyadh, alongside Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and other dignitaries.

The Prime Minister is accompanied by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi.

Taking to his official X (formerly Twitter) account, PM Shehbaz shared: “Just landed in Riyadh to join Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and other global leaders at the One Water Summit, a timely event to deliberate upon collective strategies to tackle water security challenges.”

He continued, “Together, we aim to accelerate action to combat desertification, address water pollution, and advocate for local, regional, and global action. Let’s unite in our pursuit for water sustainability!”

At the summit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at a roundtable dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and adaptation of freshwater resources and wetlands.

He will also highlight Pakistan’s ongoing efforts in promoting water conservation, enhancing climate resilience, improving water quality, fostering livelihoods, and conserving biodiversity.

PM Shehbaz is expected to stress the importance of international cooperation in addressing the impact of climate-induced challenges such as floods, erratic weather patterns, and heat stress on water resources and ecosystems.

He will also advocate for collaborative action in sustainable water resource management on a global scale.

The Prime Minister is also anticipated to engage in bilateral meetings and discussions during the event’s sidelines.

Progress on Saudi-Pakistan Investments

Prior to his departure, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed satisfaction over the significant progress made in cooperation and investment projects between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Chairing a review meeting, the Prime Minister praised the growing partnership between the two nations and emphasized the strategic importance of this relationship.

“Saudi Arabia has been a reliable partner in Pakistan’s challenging times, and we are committed to deepening this cooperation,” the Prime Minister remarked.

The meeting also covered the remarkable progress made in bilateral investments, with updates from the second meeting of the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Joint Task Force, held in November. During this session, it was shared that 34 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) had been signed, with seven of them already formalized into agreements worth $560 million.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Petroleum Dr. Musaddik Malik, and National Coordinator of the Special Investment Facilitation Council Lieutenant General Sarfaraz Ahmed.