ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on the international community to act to protect rapidly diminishing water resources, highlighting the need for strong political will and global leadership to address the global water crisis, which poses an existential threat to nations worldwide.
PM Shehbaz emphasized that “water scarcity is the world’s biggest challenge and requires urgent measures” during his remarks at the “One Water Summit” in Riyadh. He emphasized the significance of protecting water resources and cautioned that drought conditions are being caused by water scarcity worldwide.
In order to stop water waste, the prime minister also emphasized the necessity for building dams in Pakistan and called attention to the destruction caused by the floods in 2022.
On the fringes of the summit, PM Shehbaz visited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and commended him for his Vision 2030 program and other climate-related initiatives.
He later had a friendly and courteous discussion with the Saudi crown prince, their sixth in the last six months, according to a statement from the PM Office.
The statement said that both leaders concurred that a qualitative shift in the two nations’ trade, investment, and economic ties was now required. The crown prince emphasized how crucial it is to make sure that genuine cooperation between the two nations is strengthened in order to promote economic progress and prosperity in Pakistan.
Both presidents also expressed satisfaction with the rate at which the agreements and memorandums of understanding reached with Saudi Arabia about investment in Pakistan are being implemented.
MBS said he was looking forward to the crown prince’s coming to Pakistan when PM Shehbaz renewed his invitation to him to do so as soon as possible during their meeting.
Getting together with Macron
On the sidelines of the summit, PM Shehbaz also met with French President Emmanuel Macron.
In addition to applauding France’s leadership on development and climate change concerns, he recalled President Macron’s tenacious support of the Pakistani people following the disastrous floods of 2022.
According to a statement from the PM Office, the two leaders decided to strengthen Pakistan-France collaboration, especially through business-to-business exchanges in the fields of clean drinking water, livestock, information technology, agriculture, and skill development.
The two leaders discussed the whole range of the Pakistan-France relationship, including political, economic, commercial, and investment links, as well as collaboration at multilateral institutions like the United Nations, and expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory of bilateral relations.
PM Shehbaz urged France to take advantage of investment prospects in Pakistan, especially in the areas of renewable energy and climate adaption, and emphasized the need to further develop profitable trade and commercial connections. Additionally, both presidents reaffirmed their intention to continue to work closely on regional and international problems that are of common concern.
