(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Aramco agreed to take a stake in fuel retailer Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd., marking the energy company’s entry into the South Asian nation.

Aramco’s purchase of a 40% interest in the retailer known as GO follows a push in Saudi Arabia to deepen ties with Pakistan. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said earlier this year that the kingdom should consider increasing assistance to, and investment in, the country.

The Gulf oil giant has also been on a recent buying spree in Asia, snapping up a 10% share of one of China’s largest refining firms and entering talks for stakes in two others. It’s moving further into so-called downstream industries on a bet that demand for fuels and petrochemicals will remain strong.

The GO acquisition “aligns with Aramco’s downstream expansion strategy,” Downstream President Mohammed Al Qahtani said in a statement, without disclosing financial terms.

The company was also exploring a potential bid for Shell Plc’s assets in Pakistan, Bloomberg reported in October. The European oil major agreed to sell a 77.4% stake in Shell Pakistan Ltd. to Wafi Energy LLC last month.

Read More: Aramco Said to Study Potential Bid for Shell’s Pakistan Unit

Pakistan said in September that it expects Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to invest $25 billion in the country within five years after they helped it avert a default earlier this year.

--With assistance from Faseeh Mangi.

(Updates with details of Shell Pakistan deal in fifth paragraph.)

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