ISLAMABAD: Arab Parliament delegates met with Pakistan Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjarani on Monday and discussed various issues, including “bilateral cooperation, institutional ties and parliamentary diplomacy,” Sanjarani’s office said in a statement.
The Arab Parliament is the legislative body of the Arab League, a key 22-member organization of Arab countries established in 1945.
The high-profile delegation, led by Arab Parliament speaker Adel Abdulrahman Al-Asoumi, began its first visit to Islamabad on Sunday, on Sanjarani’s invitation, “to develop and strengthen parliamentary relations” with Pakistan during the five-day trip.
“Pakistan attaches great importance to bilateral cooperation and relations with Arab countries,” Sanjarani said on Monday.
Al-Asoumi, for his part, said that Pakistan is an “important country for the Arab world,” adding: “Economic development and social prosperity is our common commitment, and we will move forward with it.”
“The visit will help pave the way for parliamentary cooperation, institutional liaison and multilateral assistance,” the statement, quoting Al-Asoumi, said.
The first parliamentary-level agreements will be signed on Monday, Pakistani Senator Sana Jamali told Arab News.
“The agreements would focus on strengthening bonding between Pakistani and Arab parliament. The main areas are bilateral parliamentarian exchanges, economic and cultural cooperation between member countries,” Jamali said.
The delegation is also expected to hold talks with President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In a statement on Saturday, the Arab Parliament said the “first of its kind” visit aims to “strengthen Arab parliamentary relations with the Pakistani side, especially in light of positive developments and remarkable growth in relations between the two sides in the political, economic, security and military fields.”
