Saudi Arabia invites PM Imran to Middle East climate summit

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia on Friday invited Prime Minister Imran Khan to the ‘Middle East Green Initiative Summit’ being held in October.

Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmad Al-Malkiy delivered the invitation to Prime Minister Khan at his office.

The PM Office, in a statement, said Mr Khan accepted the invitation for participating in the summit.

Earlier in March, the Saudi leadership launched the ‘Saudi Green’ and ‘Middle East Green’ schemes aimed at cutting carbon emissions by 60 per cent through employing clean hydrocarbon technologies and planting about 50 billion trees, including 10 billion in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Green initiative has more domestic focus, while the Kingdom is trying through the Middle East Green initiative to lead regional efforts for attaining global targets to combat climate change.

Pakistan was among the first countries to welcome the initiatives. PM Khan in a letter to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, on that occasion, had offered Pakistan’s help in the massive tree plantation projects.

Read: PM Imran praises 'brother' Saudi crown prince's plantation drives, offers Pakistan's support

The PMO said the Saudi initiatives aligned closely with the prime minister’s climate change initiatives — ‘Clean and Green Pakistan’ and ‘10 Billion Tree Tsunami’.

“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are also collaborating closely to develop synergies in their climate-change related strategies,” it further said.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2021

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Comments (23) Closed

Justice

Jul 31, 2021 08:01am

Saudi being an oil rich country hosting Green Energy initiative. Sounds bit unnatural. Hope Saudi is sincere in their intention.

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Dr. Airalas, Rimaa Damha

Jul 31, 2021 08:04am

He is 100 percent correct Gracious, great, good, glorious gesture from brothers

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Jul 31, 2021 08:16am

Desert climate?

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Rao

Jul 31, 2021 08:43am

Middle East can use their stash of petrodollars to desalinate sea water and use it to green their deserts to mitigate climate change.

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Mahmood

Jul 31, 2021 08:47am

What? Just two days after Saudi foreign minister was in Pakistan? Such a farcical excuse to make IK come and pay his respect to MBS, so Pakistan can be further pressured to do more for Saudis! Middle East climate summit? Middle East has always been the warmest place on earth. What are they going to discuss? How to put air conditioning in the deserts? As if they've solved their regional tensions and have nothing else to worry about.

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Progressive Pakistan

Jul 31, 2021 08:50am

Focus on top priorities of law, educate and our self-sufficiency for food for Pakistani please! Such things are AFTER we excel on all three fronts.

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Fastrack

Jul 31, 2021 08:55am

Excellent, Naya Pakistan.

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F Khan

Jul 31, 2021 10:31am

But do check from our Trump before iniviting him that does he believe in climate change or not?

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Jacob

Jul 31, 2021 10:51am

At least Saudi called.

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JusticeLoCorruptionHi

Jul 31, 2021 11:42am

To discuss political climate change in region.

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Skeptic

Jul 31, 2021 11:49am

Yes, just as soon as you lot can win Jerusalem back, manage to ensure Palestine as a land and its people are back in the home is secure. have stopped bombing poor Yemen to stone age; made peace with Iran and nave no quarrels with Lebanon, Syria, Iraq or Qatar and are not sneakingly making deals with Israel, can you have the luxury of focusing on climate issues in the Middle East. BTW, temps in the ME can be reduced, if there weren't daily bombings in Syria, Iraq or Yemen or armies on the move.

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Maud

Jul 31, 2021 12:18pm

A good intiative, but the real test will be its realistaion on the ground.

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Rashid

Jul 31, 2021 12:20pm

@Mahmood , keep cooking false stories under Pakistani names.

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Skeptic

Jul 31, 2021 12:35pm

No other previous Pakistani PM or President has met with Saudis as much as IK has in his three years. I'm beginning to think IK has been reduced to a slave of the Saudis, who jumps at every command and invitation - regardless of the cost or other pressing issues at home. Please get your priorities right. Pakistan is facing the rising 4th wave of the Covid. Visiting Saudis for a conference which has no consequence on the region or benefit for Pakistan should be the least of your concerns.

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Jul 31, 2021 12:43pm

United we stand, divided we fall.

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Rashid Ishaq

Jul 31, 2021 12:51pm

khan will always be remembered as blended prime minister, humanitarian + environmentalist

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Mansur Ul Haque

Jul 31, 2021 01:03pm

Thank you Arab league. Joe Biden did not invited Imran on such conference. You are not less than US.

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Rahim

Jul 31, 2021 01:50pm

PMIK should reject the offer of invite. He is a master tree planter and environmental lover. His climate teachings already reverberates in world capitals. PMIK didn’t need the civilian award or the doctorate from SA.

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Maverick

Jul 31, 2021 02:17pm

Saudis are very sharp. By such moves they are trying win favor of our celebrity PM who is very fond of attending such summits to showcase his knowledge of many things what other ordinary statesmen around the world are probably unaware of. Mr Biden please invite our PM and listen to his novel ideas to fight against climate change and global warming. You're underestimating our prime minister. His government in Kpk has planted 10 billion trees, few of them on land and majority of them on paper

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Ifti Malik

Jul 31, 2021 02:44pm

Another sublime opportunity for Imran to suck up to the Arabs and get more money for his wasteful expenses.

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Ifti Malik

Jul 31, 2021 02:45pm

@Rao, good. So you want the Saudis to permanently alter and damage the marine eco system in order to plant trees in the desert. Brilliant thinking .

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Falcon1

Jul 31, 2021 07:30pm

@Rashid, Oh yee, of so little knowledge! Where in the world did you get the idea to judge people of their nationalities, based on the name alone?? What makes you think some named ''Mahmood" could only be a Pakistani? Have you heard of Mahmood Abbas - the Palestinian president, for instance?? Someone named ''Paci'' is not Italian necessarily? He/she could be Serbian, Bosnian, Argentinian, American or Australian perhaps? There are Khans in China, Bangladesh and Arabia, not just in KPK/Frontier

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Ashan Gul

Aug 01, 2021 04:49am

@Ifti Malik, your comments reflect deep down hatred for IK. Are you a Pakistani? Sincerely

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