Lahore                                                                                                                                                                                                    15 Sept 2018

Sheikh Thani bin Hamad Al-Thani, brother of Amir of State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani met Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan at his residence in Jati Umra, Lahore.

Sheikh Thani bin Hamad AlThani, on behalf of Amir of Qatar, Deputy Amir of Qatar and State of Qatar conveyed condolences on death of the wife of Mian Nawaz Sharif.

On his Tweet dated 14 September has posted some of the pictures of the occasion and tweet that

'بالنيابة عن حضرة صاحب السمو الأمير وسمو نائب الأمير، نقلت تعازي دولة قطر الى السيد نواز شريف، رئيس وزراء باكستان السابق، في وفاة زوجته. اسأل الله تعالى ان يتغمدها في رحمته.

'On behalf of His Highness Amir of Qatar, His Highness Deputy Amir of Qatar and State of Qatar I conveyed condolences to former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif on death of his wife, I ask AlMighty Allah for His mercy on her'

Begum Kulsoom Nawaz was buried in Lahore on Friday evening in presence of thousands of people who  came to attend her funeral across the country.  She died on 11th of September in a London Hospital after a long year of sickness.

 

 

Madrid                                                                                                                                                                                                  14 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                       (MOFA)

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs  of State of Qatar participated Friday in a round table discussions at the Arab House in Spain along with a group of officials, academics and representatives of companies interested in the Middle East, during his current visit to Spain.

He briefed the officials on the efforts of the Arab House in Spain to enhance communication between Spain and the Arab world.

He gave a briefing on his visit to Spain, stressing the importance of strengthening cultural, economic and political relations with the countries of the Arab world.

 Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani underlined the depth of the Qatari-Spanish relations as well as Qatar's regional and international efforts to establish international peace and security.

He also discussed Qatar's efforts to protect human rights and preparations for hosting the 2022 World Cup.

Seoul                                                                                                                                                                                                     14 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                         (Yonhap News)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will fly directly to North Korea next week for his third bilateral summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, an official from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.

"President Moon and the (South Korea) delegation will visit Pyongyang using the direct western air route," said Kwun Hyuk-ki, a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman in charge of the Cheong Wa Dae press center.

The means of travel for the South Korean leader was agreed to in working-level talks held on Friday in the border village of Panmunjom and involving working-level officials from both Koreas.

Seoul and Pyongyang earlier agreed to hold the third Moon-Kim summit in the North Korean capital from Tuesday through Thursday. The two leaders held their first-ever summit in Panmunjom on April 27, then again on May 26.

Officials at Friday's meeting are believed to have discussed Moon's itinerary along with the sequence of events to be held, which will likely include a welcome dinner hosted by Kim.

Kwun said an advance team of delegates will head to Pyongyang on Sunday via a land route.

Seoul has said the sides have agreed to keep the total number of South Korean visitors to under 200.

Already, several top political and business leaders are said to have found spots on the list. They include Lee Hae-chan, a former prime minister who was recently elected chief of the ruling Democratic Party, and Lee Jae-yong, de facto head of Samsung Group, the country's largest business conglomerate.

The South Korean delegates to Friday's meeting were headed by Kim Sang-gyun, a senior director of the National Intelligence Service who visited Pyongyang on Sept. 5 for a rare meeting with the North Korean leader.

The delegation to Friday's meeting also included Yun Kun-young, a senior official from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, and Choi Byeong-il, an official from the presidential secret service.

Islamabad                                                                                                                                                                                             14 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                         (APP)

President Dr Arif Alivi on Friday emphasized the importance of further enhancing the close ties between Pakistan and Turkey, especially in the field of trade and commerce for the benefit of the people of the two countries.

Talking to Foreign Minister of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu, who called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the president said that relations between the two countries were unique and based on shared values, history, commonality of interests and shared views on wide range of issues.

The President stated: “We hope to host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan soon in Pakistan.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister is on an official visit to Pakistan to convey the greetings from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the new leadership of Pakistan.

The Turkish Foreign Minister congratulated the President on his assumption of office and conveyed the good wishes of the leadership and the people of Turkey for the newly elected Government of Pakistan.

He emphasized the significance of the strategic partnership between the two countries and expressed the hope to further enhance it. He conveyed the desire of his leadership to work closely with the new government in Pakistan and also invited President Dr Arif Alvi to visit Turkey at his earliest convenience.

The President conveyed his congratulations to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over his victory in recent elections.

London                                                                                                                                                                                                  11 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                          (Daily Dawn)

Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of former Prime Minister  of Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif, passed away in London on Tuesday after a months-long battle with cancer.

She is survived by her husband and four children, Hassan, Hussain, Maryam and Asma.

PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb told the Associated Press that arrangements were being made to bring her body back to Pakistan for burial.

Party leader Khawaja Imran Nazeer, speaking to the media in Lahore, said Begum Kulsoom may be laid to rest in the family home at Raiwind, but clarified that all decisions will be finalised only after consultation between family members. He said in case the family decides to bury her in Pakistan, the repatriation process may take two or three days.

Begum Kulsoom, 68, had been placed on life support earlier today as her health began deteriorating, sources at London's Harley Street Clinic had told GeoNews.

Begum Kulsoom’s health began deteriorating last night as she had developed a lung problem again, Geo had reported.

The three-time former first lady was diagonosed with early-stage lymphimain in August last year and had been in London since, where she underwent multiple surgeries and at least five chemotherapy sessions.

She had suffered a cardiac arrest and was placed on a ventilator in June this year. Her family reported a slight improvement in her condition on July 12, a day before Nawaz and Maryam were set to return to Pakistan after an accountability court sentenced them to jail in the Avenfield corruption reference.

The former PM and his daughter are both currently serving their sentences in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.

Begum Kulsoom Nawaz was elected to Lahore's National Assembly NA-120 constituency in a by-poll after her husband was disqualified from the seat by the Supreme Court last year, but left for the United Kingdom before she could begin campaigning for the by-poll.

In her absence, Maryam ran her campaign instead. Due to her illness, Begum Kulsoom was unable to return and formally take oath for the seat.

Begum Kulsoom served as first lady of Pakistan in her husband's three non-consecutive terms as prime minister from 1990-1993, 1997-1999 and 2013-2017.

Born in 1950 in Lahore to a Kashmiri family, Begum Kulsoom attended Islamia College and graduated from the Forman Christian College in Lahore. She received a Master's degree in Urdu from Punjab University in 1970.

She married Nawaz Sharif in 1971, and served as the president of the PML-N from 1999 to 2002, after her husband's government was dismissed by former president Pervez Musharraf, and nearly all the Sharif family's men were jailed.

Both mother and daughter were also placed under house arrest following Nawaz's dismissal by Musharraf.

Begum Kulsoom led defiant, lonely protests against the Musharraf regime to get her husband freed from prison.

Over the last 30 years, she had stood by her husband and advised him on various government affairs. Party leaders have also said that she occasionally wrote many of Nawaz's speeches.

In a 2012 interview with Newsweek, Maryam had said her mother "dauntlessly challenged the usurper when a lot of men backed out... She’s contributed famously to my father’s life and to democracy in Pakistan."

Seoul                                                                                                                                                                                                      11 Sept. 2018                                                                                                                                                                                        (Yonhap News)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hosted an art performance and banquet exclusively for Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy in Pyongyang, the North's media said Tuesday, in an extraordinary move that signals the two countries' friendly relationship.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that Kim arranged the event Monday for Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, and his delegation at the Mansudae Art Theater.

Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, enjoyed the performance together with Li and members of his delegation, the KCNA report said, adding that the audience also included Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong; Choe Ryong-hae, vice chairman of the North's ruling party; and Chinese ambassador to Pyongyang, Li Jinjun.

"Kim and Ri greeted the members of the Chinese party and government delegation at the lobby of the art theater. After exchanging warm greetings and posing for a photo with the Chinese guests, Kim had an amiable talk with them," the report said.

Li, China's No. 3-ranked official, arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday to celebrate the North's 70th founding anniversary and deliver a personal letter from Xi to Kim.

Islamabad                                                                                                                                                                                             11 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                         (Daily Express Tribune)

With three liquefied natural gas (LNG)-based power plants of 3,600-megawatt capacity fully functional in Punjab, Pakistan has the infrastructure in place to support import of nine million tons of LNG per annum.

So far, LNG imports have touched the peak of seven million tons. Since January this year, the country has imported four million tons through two fully dedicated terminals at Port Qasim.

Industry officials said total re-gasification capacity of both the LNG terminals was approximately 1,200 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), but at the current pace they could handle 1,000 mmcfd.

Pakistan will be able to save approximately $2.6 billion in furnace oil substitution through import of nine million tons of LNG and by producing an additional 3,600MW of electricity through LNG.

Although these three LNG-based power plants have become functional in mid-2018, they will still substitute approximately 10 million tons of furnace oil imports.

Officials claimed that LNG was a more efficient fuel as compared to furnace oil as LNG-based power production had 60% efficiency compared to 40% on alternative fuels.

Comparing the current domestic prices of different fuels, industry sources said at current oil prices, high sulphur fuel oil cost $16.3 per million British thermal units (mmbtu) while RLNG cost just $10.46 per unit.

This strengthens the case for LNG-based power production compared to furnace oil-based costly energy.

Before LNG imports into the country, industries in Pakistan were facing the worst kind of gas and electricity shortages. The government was unable to provide gas to different sectors of the economy including power plants, CNG stations and fertiliser plants, resulting in huge production and foreign exchange losses.

Since the country did not have natural gas to run power plants, the government was forced to pay capacity charges (idle charges) to the power plants, which increased electricity production cost.

Several power plants were operating at less than 50% service factor on diesel, which was a very expensive fuel as compared to LNG, which is comparatively cheaper.

In the pre-LNG import era, textile, fertiliser and CNG businesses were the worst hit commercial sectors while millions of consumers suffered badly due to power and gas shortages.

Setting up LNG terminals and import infrastructure has paved the way for more foreign direct investment into the country’s power sector. Pakistan needs three to four more LNG import terminals to address the ongoing energy shortage.

Islamabad                                                                                                                                                                                            10 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                        (APP)

Pakistani leadership has conveyed to Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a national priority for the government, Foreign Office Monday said in a press statement.
“Pakistan remains committed to the successful implementation of CPEC,” the Foreign Office statement said on the completion of Chinese minister’s visit to Pakistan. Wang Yi paid an official visit to Pakistan from September 7-9.

The statement said there was complete consensus on the future trajectory of CPEC between Pakistan and China.
“The two sides agreed to work together towards implementation of the ongoing projects and agreed to expand CPEC to new areas of cooperation including socio-economic development, poverty alleviation, anti-corruption, agricultural cooperation and industrial development as per the needs and priorities of the government of Pakistan,” it added.

The two sides had in-depth exchange of views on all issues of mutual interest. The visit provided an opportunity to the two sides to reaffirm their “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership”.

During his visit, Wang Yi held delegation level talks with foreign minister followed by a joint press conference. He also called on the President, the Prime Minister, Speaker National Assembly and the Chief of Army Staff.

He conveyed the message of good will and support from the Chinese leadership for the new government of Pakistan.

From the substantive point of view, it helped in further strengthening the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

State Councillor Wang Yi was a special guest at the oath-taking ceremony of President of Pakistan and was the first foreign dignitary to call on him after his inauguration on the same day.

The visit had a special significance as it came right after the installation of new government and on the day of the oath-taking ceremony of the new President.

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                     05 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                         (QNA)

Second U.S.-Qatar Counter-terrorism Dialogue took place Wednesday in Doha between  Eng. Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari, Chairman, National Counter Terrorism Committee of Qatari and Alina Romanowski, Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counter-terrorism, Department of State, USA.

Members of Delegations of both the countries comprised of specialists took part in working sessions to review progress in the counter-terrorism field . Dr Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani, Special Envoy of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar for Counter-terrorism and Mediation of Conflict Resolution also attended.

The two sides held five working sessions to review the counter-terrorism efforts since they signed a Memorandum of Understanding on July 11 of 2017. They also reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the plan laid out for 2018 as a result of the signed MoU.  Both the parties also agreed on the future steps to combat the financing of terrorism. They also discussed possibilities of  sharing US expertise in regards to hosting the World Cup 2022.

The American side praised the steps and measures taken by the State of Qatar in cooperation with the international community in combatting terrorism and its finance. The Qatari side meanwhile thanked the U.S. for its support of Qatar as a strategic ally in the fight against terrorism and its finance.

The two sides agreed in the conclusion of the dialogue on the importance of continuing their cooperation to make further progress in the fight against terrorism and its finance, to limit its damaging impact.

Romanowski said that ties between the U.S. and Qatar in the field of counter-terrorism has made big progress since the previous dialogue held in Washington in November 2017. She added that two sides continue cooperation in the fight to beat ISIS by using Al Udeid air base, adding that the U.S. was grateful for that. She expressed her delight on completion of work in all aspects as per the MOU signed in  July 2017, however, she reminded that a lot is still required by both the sides to enhance their fight against terrorism.

Eng. Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari said on the occasion that Second dialogue was held today as the two sides continue their cooperation in fighting terrorism and its financing by building on the work done through the MoU signed in July 2017. He said that discussions focuses on the success achieved over the past year in that field. He also said that the two sides agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation and continue working in accordance to international standards.

AlAnsari extended thanks to the American side for their continuous support and their enhancement of strategic bilateral ties, stressing the importance of the MoU and the mechanism formed by it to cooperate in the fight against terrorism and its finance.

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                       06 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                      (QNA)

Hans-Udo Muzel, German envoy to State of Qatar in an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency has said that Germany values its close partnership with Qatar. He lauded on the recent visit to Germany by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani, Amir of State of Qatar to open  Qatar-Germany Business and Investment Forum in Berlin. He noted that the visit comes just one year after the last bilateral meeting between Amir of Qatar and Chancellor Merkel indicating the intensity of bilateral relations.

German envoy told that Amir of Qatar and German Chancellor will oversee the signing of an agreement on the establishment of the Joint German-Qatar Task Force on Trade and Investments. Business and Investment Forum will provide an excellent opportunity to further strengthen the already substantial economic relations between Qatar and Germany and to open up new opportunities for cooperation between Qatari and German businesses. Strengthening of trade relations between our two states will be mutually beneficial and is therefore in the interest of both our nations, ambassador Muzel said.

Talking on bilateral ties, he said that "Qatar and Germany enjoy longstanding and solid political, cultural and economic ties. Last year we enjoyed a wide variety of events in the framework of the Qatar Germany Year of Culture. This year, we are celebrating 45 years of diplomatic relations. We will dedicate our upcoming National Day reception in Doha to this special anniversary. Continuous growth of bilateral trade and growing integration of the Qatari and German economies is a success story."

On economic cooperation between the two sides, he said that bilateral trade between Qatar and Germany remained strong in 2017. Volume of Qatari-German trade amounted to 2.5 billion Euros approximately, which made Germany one of Qatar's most important trading partners.

"As a matter of fact, we rank as number three among Qatar's main trade, business and most important - technology partners. We look forward to be an active partner in Qatar's Vision 2030 development plans for the country's state-of-the art infrastructure for the gas, oil sector, transport, the new non-oil industrial base, information technology, research and technology and higher education," German ambassador said.

German Envoy said that "We understand from our Qatari partners that they continue to look for investment opportunities in Germany, particularly in innovative sectors of the German high-tech industry. As a matter of fact, Germany's highly innovative and specialized SMEs are called hidden champions, being the backbone of German industry and R&D. They are operating on an international level and are an important player in the field of Qatar-German technical cooperation,"  Ambassador added.

He told that over 300 German companies are registered in Qatar. Among these, a significant number are joint-ventures. A total of 27 German companies in Qatar are owned by German enterprises and more than 100 are partnering with Qatari companies. These companies operate in various fields including construction, medical equipment, project management, consulting, transport and communication, he said. German exports to Qatar are mainly high-tech machinery, turbines, cars, aircraft and spare parts, foodstuff as well as supplies to the oil and gas sector, the ambassador also said.

He said that the Qatari economy has done remarkably well over the past year despite the difficult circumstances. He added that forecasts for economic growth are expected to be between 3 and 4 percent in the years to come and Qatar has continued to invest in markets abroad. This is indicative of the resilience of the Qatari economy.

"The current situation and business environment certainly has an impact on the economy but in the long run, I am sure, it will contribute to strengthen the Qatari economy as it has accelerated efforts to diversify economic relations and opened up new business opportunities."

He gave an example with the agricultural sector, which has seen the establishment of numerous companies over the past year making Qatar almost self-sufficient in many areas of this sector. He noted that German companies are partners for Qatari enterprises in this endeavor.

"Another example is tourism where the 2022 World Cup will certainly have positive effects as it helps establishing Qatar as an international sports hub and tourist destination, also for soccer fans and travelers from Germany and other European countries. And the German Mannschaft will definitely do better next time, I am sure," he added.

He stressed that the Business and Investment Forum represented an important stepping stone to further intensify the bilateral trade relations, adding that Germany looks forward to using opportunities as they arise, stressing that there is definitely huge potential in bilateral relations.

On Germany's position from the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar,  German envoy to Qatar stressed that Germany welcomes all initiatives for a peaceful resolution of the crisis for the sake of the stability of the region. He added that Germany fully and firmly supported the efforts by the Emir of Kuwait. He stressed that a strong and united Gulf Cooperation Council is in the interest of both Europe and the region. He also said that dialogue was the only way to reach a beneficial resolution, expressing appreciation to Qatar's readiness to engage in such a constructive dialogue.

Ambassador Hans-Udo Muzel noted that Qatar and Germany were partners in the Global Coalition against ISIS, and there are German military advisors in the coalition, which has its headquarters in Qatar.