FM Qureshi leaves for 2-day visit to Egypt

[Tomcats]

FM Qureshi leaves for 2-day visit to Egypt
Dawn.com | Naveed Siddiqui
Published February 16, 2021Updated about 3 hours ago

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi (centre) leaves for Egypt on a two-day trip. — Photo courtesy Radio Pak

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi left for a two-day trip to Egypt on Tuesday, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Qureshi is visiting Cairo on the invitation of Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Radio Pak said. During his visit, FM Qureshi will hold "detailed consultations" with Shoukry. Both officials will also discuss bilateral relations and ways to "further strengthen and diversify" them.

Qureshi and Shoukry will hold a joint press conference as well.

The foreign minister will also hold meetings with the Pakistani community in Egypt as well as with Egyptian businessmen. In his meeting with the latter, Qureshi will talk about investment opportunities in Pakistan and the incentives offered by the government for foreign investors.

The foreign minister will also speak to local and international media.

Before leaving for Cairo, Foreign Minister Qureshi said in a video message that Egypt is an "important country of the Muslim ummah which is also known as Africa's gateway".

"Promotion of trade with African countries is amongst our government's important priorities," he said. The incumbent government has, on many occasions, expressed its desire to enrich financial relations with countries in Africa by exploring its markets and increasing economic diplomacy.

The visit to Cairo is also meant to "promote" relations with "this important country", he said, adding that there are many opportunities to promote economic cooperation with Egypt.

A visit to the prestigious Jamia Al Azhar is also amongst his plans, said Qureshi. The minister said that the government hopes to benefit in the education sector by learning from the institute's experiences.

FM Qureshi leaves for 2-day visit to Egypt

The foreign minister is visiting Egypt on the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Hassan Shoukry.

www.dawn.com

 

[BamsiBey]

This doesn't sound too well for pakistan considering how close the SISI are to the zionists.

Isn't SMQ the biggest snake in the Govn't? As long as people like SMQ in the pakistan govn't exist i don't see any radical changes being implemented.

 

[Imran Khan]

egypt policies run from gulf what is the benefit of such useless visit

 

[kingQamaR]

Cairo, has politely invited turkeys good ally with a two day visit. be interested, what’s on the agenda as we have historically disagreed on everything ...... hahaha

from day one lol

 

[Unite & Defend]

Egypt is rapidly changing up its economy, Pakistan should do whatever it takes to increase trade with that region.

 

[TheSnakeEatingMarkhur]

Cairo, has politely invited turkeys good ally with a two day visit. be interested, what’s on the agenda as we have historically disagreed on everything ...... hahaha

from day one lol

Nah both PAF and EAF have had good relations.. if I am not wrong..

 

[arjunk]

Rafale conspiracy theories incoming

 

[El Sidd]

Africa is going to give Asia a tough run for its money in the coming decade.

Egypt is the gateway to Africa for most part of history and must be kept as a diplomatic post.

 

[Tomcats]

FM Qureshi encourages Egyptian businessmen to invest in Pakistan

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi (centre) gestures during a meeting with members of Egyptian business community. — Photo courtesy: APP screengrab

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi urged Egyptian businessmen to invest in Pakistan by highlighting the incentives the government is offering to foreign investors in various sectors including housing, energy and health, Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday.

During a meeting with a delegation of the Egyptian business community in Cairo, the foreign minister said improvement in Pakistan's ranking for ease of doing business reflected the confidence of investors and businessmen in the incumbent government's policies.

Qureshi stressed that the "brotherly relations" between Pakistan and Egypt could further improve through an increase in bilateral trade and economic partnership. He also assured the Egyptian business community that the government would take all necessary steps to assist them if they chose to invest in Pakistan.

According to Radio Pak, Egyptian business community expressed interest in investing in Pakistan. The chief executive officer of Elsewedy Electric company also met Qureshi and expressed an interest in investing in Pakistan.

During their meeting, the foreign minister said businesspersons from across the world were interested in investing in Pakistan as it was an emerging market and also because of the incumbent government's "prudent economic policies".

The foreign minister is on a two-day official visit to Egypt on the invitation of Egyptian FM Sameh Hassan Shoukry.

 

[Tomcats]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1362323319857442818

https://twitter.com/x/status/1362029242339495937

https://twitter.com/x/status/1362329302684073987

 

[Deltadart]

Chalk it up as another useless visit. Could have done this on zoom and saved some tax payer money as well.

 

[Xone]

Pakistan efforts to mend fences with Saudi-led bloc bear fruit
Islamabad also maintains strong ties with counter-alliance of Turkey and Iran

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Prime Minister Imran Khan. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are finding more areas of common interest, like Arabian Sea security. © Getty Images
ADNAN AAMIR, Contributing writerFebruary 22, 2021 16:16 JST
KARACHI -- Pakistan has suddenly found itself in stronger standing with a Saudi-led bloc of Arab nations, having managed to mend a rift while maintaining ties to another alliance that is challenging the Saudis' leadership of the Muslim world.
The most recent sign of this rapprochement came last week when Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi visited Egypt to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, his counterpart Sameh Shoukry and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the organization's headquarters.
Pakistan's foreign office says the discussions focused on economics, but experts believe they were a continuation of Pakistan's wider efforts to mend ties with the Saudi bloc that frayed in August when Qureshi issued a statement against the Saudi kingdom. In the statement, Qureshi asked the Saudi Arabia-led Organization of Islamic Cooperation to stop dillydallying on convening a meeting of its Council of Foreign Ministers on Kashmir.

James M. Dorsey, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told Nikkei Asia that several factors are at play, including Pakistan's Shiite population, doubts about the U.S. commitment to the region and Saudi Arabia's desire to recognize Israel.
After the Pakistan-Arab League rift emerged in August, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates asked Pakistan to repay $4 billion in loans taken out in 2018. Then in December, the UAE suspended the issuance of work visas to Pakistani nationals, a move experts said was designed to pressure Pakistan.
But last week the situation pivoted. Besides Qureshi's trip to Cairo, Saudi Arabia and the UAE each rolled over loans of $1 billion to Islamabad.

In addition, plans for a $10 billion Saudi Aramco oil refinery in the Pakistani port city of Gwadar appeared to move forward. Shahzeb Khan Kakar, director-general of the Gwadar Development Authority, has told reporters that planning for a mega oil city will be completed in six to seven months.
Experts believe Saudi Arabia and the UAE, having tried to exert pressure on Pakistan with little effect, are recalibrating their positions.
Dorsey told Nikkei Asia that Gulf states do not want to alienate Pakistan. "Pakistan is the second largest Muslim country, which hosts the world's largest Shiite minority population," he said, "and hence it's too important for Gulf states to ignore."
The senior fellow added that Pakistan's geography, particularly its coast along the Arabian Sea, is important for Riyadh now that uncertainty is emerging in regard to U.S. President Joe Biden's commitment to regional security. Biden took office a month ago.
And then there is the Israel angle.
"The Saudis want to recognize Israel but cannot do so easily," Dorsey said. "If Riyadh recognizes Israel, the biggest protest against the country will take place in Pakistan." Therefore, Dorsey said, Riyadh wants Pakistan to establish relations with Israel first.
"That is why the kingdom has softened its stance toward Islamabad," he said.

An anti-Israel rally in Karachi, Pakistan, on Jan. 21. Saudi Arabia would like Pakistan to go first in recognizing Israel. © Reuters
While Qureshi's visit to Egypt was seen as a wider rapprochement with Arabs, it also had economic implications. During the trip, Qureshi also met Egyptian businessmen and emphasized the revival of the Pakistan-Egypt Joint Business Council.
"The Pakistani foreign minister's visit to Egypt may prove to be crucial for attracting Egyptian foreign direct investment and thus raising the inflows to a level comparable to FDI from Turkey and Saudi Arabia," said Lukasz Przybyszewski, a West Asia analyst for the Asia Research Centre at Warsaw's War Studies Academy.
Przybyszewski added that from Riyadh's perspective Pakistan is trying to better position itself in the Mediterranean-Indian Ocean trade and value chain corridor by, among other means, increasing and diversifying its FDI inflows.
Experts believe Pakistan's detente with Arab nations will not affect its good relations with the Turkey-Iran-Malaysia bloc that is challenging Saudi Arabia's leadership of the Muslim world.
"Pakistan is playing a very good balancing game between the Saudis and Turkey, which has produced results for the country," Dorsey said, adding that Pakistan has adopted a calibrated position that is not consistent with Turkey's position on Arab countries.
Przybyszewski said Islamabad is taking a multitrack approach in which new joint economic ventures and agreements with Turkey and Iran -- such as a railway project involving Islamabad, Tehran and Istanbul, and a gas pipeline between Iran and Pakistan -- are meant to balance its relations with Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Imran Khan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Pakistan has managed to maintain strong ties to the Iran bloc that is challenging Saudi Arabia's leadership of the Muslim world. © Getty Images
"A greater convergence of interests on the economic level between Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will not be a detriment to Islamabad's position vis-a-vis Tehran and Ankara," Przybyszewski told Nikkei.
While Pakistan's diplomatic spat with the Saudis is easing, experts believe relations cannot fully return to the good old days.
"Tensions have been dialed down between Pakistan and the Saudis, [and] the flow of investment could resume" Arif Rafiq, the president of Washington-based Vizier Consulting, told Nikkei. "But Riyadh is unlikely to tilt back toward Islamabad on the Kashmir dispute."
Pakistan would like Saudi Arabia to come down on its side in its dispute with India.
Regardless of this impasse, Rafiq, said, the Ankara-Islamabad entente will grow more solid as time goes by, and Islamabad will continue to seek improved cross-border trade and security cooperation with Tehran.

Pakistan efforts to mend fences with Saudi-led bloc bear fruit

Islamabad also maintains strong ties with counter-alliance of Turkey and Iran

asia.nikkei.com