https://arab.news/gh3kd
- Pakistan, faced with low forex reserves, currency devaluation and high inflation, this month reached a staff-level agreement with IMF for $7 billion loan
- The South Asian country is making desperate attempts to boost foreign investment to cut its reliance on foreign debts to support its $350 billion economy
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan welcomes the visit of a delegation of Omani investors to Islamabad this week, the Pakistani deputy prime minister said on Monday, amid the South Asian country’s push to boost trade and foreign investment.
The statement came after Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s telephonic conversation with Omani FM Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi.
The two leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, ranging from political, economic and defense cooperation to people-to-people exchanges, according to the Pakistani foreign office.
“The Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister welcomed the forthcoming visit of a delegation of Omani investors to Pakistan later this week, geared toward exploring areas of mutually beneficial economic cooperation,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“The two leaders also shared views on a range of regional and international issues of mutual interest.”
Pakistan, which has been facing low foreign exchange reserves, currency devaluation and high inflation, this month reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $7 billion loan.
The South Asian country is making desperate attempts to boost foreign investment to cut its reliance on foreign debts to support its $350 billion fragile economy. In recent months, there has been a flurry of visits, investment talks and economic activity between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Japan, Azerbaijan, Qatar and other countries.
During the conversation, Dar and his Omani counterpart also discussed an attack on Imam Bargah Ali bin Abu Talib in Wadi Kabir in Muscat that killed six people, including four Pakistanis, and injured dozens of others on July 15.
Dar emphasized the importance of concerted action to combat militancy in all its forms and manifestations and extended Pakistan’s full support to Oman in this regard, according to the Pakistan foreign office.
He appreciated Oman’s support in repatriation of bodies of the mosque attack victims to Pakistan and taking care of the injured Pakistani nationals.