Saudi Arabia has signed an accord with Pakistan focusing on ways of boosting cooperation in trade and industry, newspapers reported Thursday.
The wide-ranging accord promoted "trade and commerce, banking, culture, exchange of students, investment and joint ventures in agro-industry sectors", Pakistani Finance Minister Shawkat Aziz said, quoted by Al-Riyad newspaper.
Aziz signed the accord with Saudi Trade Minister Osama Faqih at the end of the two-day Saudi-Pakistani joint ministerial commission meeting in Riyadh.
Aziz, who held talks with Saudi King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, added that Riyadh had asked Pakistan to provide the kingdom with a further 1,000 doctors.
Pakistani Privatization Minister Altaf Salim, meanwhile, encouraged Saudi businessmen to consider investing in Pakistan.
"We have liberalized all sectors for private participation, our customs duties have been lowered substantially and income tax has been restructured to attract foreign investment," Salim said.
Saudi Arabia, the keeper of Islam's two holiest shrines, has supplied Islamabad with nearly a billion dollars in economic aid over the past few years. — (AFP, Riyadh)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
