ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to import LNG from Yemen, and in this regard an agreement is expected to be signed later this month when Yemeni minister for oil and minerals will visit Islamabad.

The import of LNG was one of the key decisions taken at the two-day meeting of Joint Ministerial meeting between Pakistan and Yemen which concluded here on Wednesday.

Minister for Industries and Production, Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi and Yemeni Minister for Industry and Trade Dr Saadaldeen Ali Salim Talib co-chaired the ministerial session.

The two ministers also signed the minutes of the session.

During two days of session, extensive discussions by experts of the two sides on a number of issues especially focused on trade, commerce, and finance and investment. Matter relating to import of LNG from Yemen were also discussed.

Similarly matters pertaining to deepening cooperation in education, vocational training, health and population, agriculture, fisheries and infrastructure development also came under discussion during meeting.

The two countries decided to commence talks on finaliaing Preferential Trade Agreement or Free Trade Agreement for increasing the volume of bilateral trade.

It was decided to establish the Pakistan-Yemen Joint Business Council which would convene its first meeting during the first quarter of 2014.

A committee for exploring the investment opportunities in both countries was also constituted at the conclusion of the joint session.

Progress on a number of pending memorandums of understanding, agreements and executive programmes was also reviewed and it was decided to speed up the pace of internal procedures, required before signing the MoUs, agreements and executive programmes between the two countries.

An Executive Programme on Cooperation in the fields of Specification, Standardisation and Quality Control between Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and Yemen Standardisation, Meteorology and Quality Control Organisation (YSMO) was also signed during the closing session on Wednesday.