ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
This would be the third leadership-level interaction between Pakistan and the US since the premier’s visit to Washington in July 2019.
The premier is also expected to meet other world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, said a statement by the Foreign Office (FO).
This year’s three-day forum will commence on January 21 and the premier is attending at the invitation of Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF Professor Klaus Schwab.
The prime minister will also deliver a keynote address at the WEF’s Special Session and interact with CEOs and other corporate leaders during “Pakistan Strategy Dialogue”.
The FO added that the premier will also speak to senior international media persons and editors during a session with the Forum’s International Media Council. The prime minister will give interviews to major international media outlets.
“Several meetings are also scheduled with a wide range of corporate, business, technology and finance executives, and representatives of international financial institutions,” said the FO statement.
The thematic focus of the session for this year is ‘Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World’. This year’s session marks the 50th anniversary of the forum. In keeping with the significance of the milestone, political leaders, business executives, heads of international organisations and civil society representatives will deliberate on contemporary economic, geopolitical, social and environmental issues.
“Throughout his engagements at Davos, the prime minister will share Pakistan’s vision and achievements in the areas of economy, peace & stability, trade, business and investment opportunities. He will also highlight the current situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan’s perspective on key regional and international issues.”
As a further sign of thawing relations between Islamabad and Washington, Trump authorised the resumption of International Military Education and Training (IMET) earlier in January.
In December 2019, the Trump administration has approved the resumption of Pakistan’s participation in a coveted US military training and educational programme more than a year after it was suspended.
The decision to resume Islamabad’s participation in the IMET – for more than a decade a pillar of US-Pakistani military ties – underscores warming relations that have followed meetings this year between President Trump and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Washington also has credited Islamabad with helping to facilitate negotiations on a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The talks recently resumed between the United States and the Taliban.
BTV 