FM concludes 2-day UAE visit

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi concluded his two-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), wherein he met the UAE leadership and discussed bilateral as well as regional matters. During the visit, the foreign minister called on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the UAE, said a Foreign Office press release Saturday.

Qureshi paid homage at the mausoleum of founder of the UAE (late) Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and offered prayers at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

During his stay, the foreign minister also visited Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai, where he interacted with local and international media.

According to Foreign Office spokesperson, the long-standing fraternal ties between Pakistan and the UAE were marked by frequent high-level visits from both sides, which serve to provide impetus to their close bilateral cooperation.

Over the years, the two countries have signed a number of agreements in diverse fields providing a strong framework for enhancing their mutually beneficial partnership. The two countries also collaborate closely in the multilateral organisations, in particular the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).

He said the foreign minister’s visit was another opportunity to Pakistan and the UAE to reaffirm their commitment towards strengthening their ties, in particular in the areas of trade and investment, shared views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, as well as to deepen their cooperation in the multilateral arena.

The spokesperson said Pakistani expatriates and workers had contributed immensely to the progress and development of both countries. During the visit of the foreign minister, the two sides acknowledged Pakistani community’s positive contribution to the UAE’s success story.

A large Pakistani diaspora in the UAE forms a strong people to people bridge between the two nations. Accordingly, they agreed to consider taking appropriate steps to encourage people to people contacts between them.

The foreign minister’s visit was a reflection of close and cordial relationship, which Pakistan and the UAE have enjoyed for decades, he added.

Meanwhile, UAE Ambassador in Islamabad Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi stated that the visit of Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi comes in the context of mutual visits exchange between the two countries and the continuous coordination in the issues of common interest, says a press release on Saturday.

The ambassador emphasised that the official talks focused on joint cooperation between the two countries in containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as discussing new horizons for economic cooperation and enhancement of the bilateral trade between the two countries.

Ambassador Al Zaabi appraised the important role played by the Pakistani community in the UAE and their vital contributions in the development and building of the UAE, and stressed that they are an important society member, living with peace and security in a homeland that establishes the true meanings of tolerance, decent living and acceptance of the coexistence of others.

The UAE ambassador also referred to the role of Pakistani businessmen in their second country, who are among the first investors in the Gulf in general, and the UAE in particular, noting that there are more than 7,000 Pakistani companies registered in the UAE, including retail stores, manufacturing, textile factories, trade, food, financial services, tourism, hotels, real estate and construction, stressing that the two countries are bound by a number of agreements, most importantly in the fields of: avoidance of double taxation, investment promotion and cooperation in combating crime and terrorism. In the spirit of excellent bilateral cooperation, the UAE and Pakistan will consider appropriate steps to facilitate and encourage people to people contacts between the two countries.

The ambassador concluded his statement by saying that the challenge we are facing amid the COVID-19 pandemic has proven that cooperation, integration and solidarity is our weapon to confront this virus, and through it we have witnessed many cooperation and communication between UAE and Pakistan that became a model to be emulated in humanitarian relations between countries.