Invites US firms to invest in mineral sector
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated that Pakistan desired to work with President Trump and his Administration to strengthen bilateral relations with the United States.
The prime minister said this in a meeting with a US delegation, led by Eric Meyer, Senior Bureau Official and Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at US Department of State, which paid a courtesy call on him.
The delegation is visiting Pakistan to attend the two-day Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum being held here on Apr 8-9.
The prime minister welcomed US participation at the Forum and emphasized that Pakistan’s minerals sector presented immense opportunities, encouraging US companies to invest in that priority sector.
He underscored the significance of Pakistan-US relations not only in the bilateral context but also for regional peace and security as well as enhanced cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment and counter-terrorism.
He urged American firms to seize available opportunities for mutual benefit.
The PM office said in a statement later Wednesday that the prime minister will dispatch a high-level delegation to Washington to negotiate with Trump administration officials over the tariffs issue and to discuss how to enhance bilateral trade.
Acting Assistant Secretary Meyer congratulated Pakistan on successfully hosting the Pakistan Mineral Investment Forum.
He acknowledged the potential of Pakistan’s mineral sector and conveyed the interest of the US companies in investing in the minerals sector.
He also expressed the US desire to work with Pakistan on issues of shared interest.
Meyer said that the US looked forward to enhancing bilateral ties with Pakistan.
He reaffirmed Washington’s interest in expanding bilateral cooperation, including in such sectors as trade, investment, and counterterrorism, the statement said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Division Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, SAPM Tariq Fatemi and other high-level government officials also attended the meeting.
