Prime Minister Imran Khan will meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of World Economic Forum (WEF) being held in Davos, Switzerland, from January 21 to 23, 2020. According to Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui, Prime Minister Imran Khan will attend the WEF in Davos, Switzerland, from January 21 to 23, 2020, at the invitation of Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF.

She said that two key highlights of the visit include the Prime Minister's "keynote address" at the WEF special session and his interaction at the "Pakistan Strategy Dialogue" with chief executive officers (CEOs) and corporate leaders.

On the sidelines, the spokesperson said that the Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders. These include Prime Minister's meeting with US President Donald Trump, she said, adding that this would be the third leadership-level interaction between Pakistan and the US since the Prime Minister's visit to Washington in July 2019.

In the meeting between Prime Minister Khan and President Trump, sources said that the two sides will exchange views on bilateral relations, regional situations and the Afghan peace process. The said that the Prime Minister may also urge President Trump to help Pakistan in coming out of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by his Adviser on Commerce, Textile, Industry & Production and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari and other officials, the sources added.

According to the spokesperson, several meetings of the Prime Minister are also scheduled with a wide range of corporate, business, technology and finance executives, and representatives of international financial institutions.

The thematic focus of this session is on "Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World."

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Forum. In keeping with the significance of this milestone, political leaders, business executives, heads of international organizations and civil society representatives will deliberate on contemporary economic, geopolitical, social and environmental issues.

The spokesperson further said that the Prime Minister will also speak to senior international media persons and editors during a session with the Forum's International Media Council and will also give interviews to major international media outlets.

"Throughout his engagements at Davos, the Prime Minister will share Pakistan's vision and achievements in the areas of economy, peace and stability, trade, business and investment opportunities," she said.

She added that the Prime Minister will also highlight the current situation in the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan's perspective on key regional and international issues.

The meeting of the World Economic Forum is held every year in Davos in the month of January and world leaders are invited to address the forum. For the Pakistani prime ministers, it has become a permanent feature to visit Davos for attending the forum. Former premiers including Nawaz Sharif, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Yousuf Raza Gilani had also visited Davos for attending the annul meetings of the forum.

In 2017, a controversy arose when former Prime Minister Nawaz Shairf spent the whole four days in Davos, but without addressing the WEF, and reports at that time claimed the former premier showed up to the forum uninvited and was not given the opportunity to address it due to his alleged involvement in corruption in the backdrop of Panama Leaks.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020

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