RIYADH, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have agreed to launch an economic cooperation framework based on the two countries' shared economic interests, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.
The cooperation framework was established during a meeting between the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh on Monday.
A joint statement carried by the SPA said that the agreement affirms their mutual desire to strengthen trade and investment relations to serve common interests.
As part of the framework, several strategic, high-impact projects will be discussed in the sectors of economy, trade, investment, and development, with priority sectors being energy, industry, mining, information technology, tourism, agriculture, and food security.
The two sides are currently examining several joint economic initiatives, including agreements on an electricity interconnection project and energy cooperation, according to the statement.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state, signed a mutual defense pact in September, under which any attack against either country will be considered "an aggression against both." The agreement was reached after Israel launched an attack on Hamas targets in Doha, the capital of Qatar, in September. ■
