Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, met Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi today and received a message from Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The foreign minister, who is on a two-day visit to the UAE, conveyed his prime minister’s greetings and a message on strengthening friendly relations between the UAE and Pakistan.
Qureshi also thanked the UAE’s leadership and government for the good treatment and generous care provided to the Pakistani community in the UAE and ways to enhance and activate the existing bilateral relations between the two countries at all levels for the benefit of their peoples.
Accordingt to Wam, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid hailed the role played by members of the Pakistani community who are working in all development sectors and their effective contributions in the development and renaissance journey witnessed in the UAE.
The Pakistani Foreign Minister praised the preventive measures applied by the UAE to limit the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic in society, which greatly contributed to mitigating its negative effects on public health, the economy, tourism and transportation.
According to Pakistan Foreign Office statement, Qureshi exchanged views with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid on a range of issues of mutual interest. He discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation between the two brotherly countries, possibilities of enhancing bilateral trade relations and promoting investment, in particular in the field of agriculture . The Foreign Minister also discussed matters pertaining to the welfare of Pakistani diaspora in the UAE.
Foreign Minister Qureshi invited UAE business community to explore immense investment opportunities in Pakistan. Wishing Expo 2020, Dubai a resounding success, Qureshi expressed gratitude to the UAE government in enabling Pakistan to participate effectively in the event. “The Pakistan Pavilion at Expo2020, Dubai next year will be a memento of Pakistan-UAE friendship and we wish UAE a resounding success,” he tweeted soon after the meeting in Dubai on Thursday.
He said that Pakistan and the UAE have close and historic fraternal ties. The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening and augmenting existing strong bilateral relations with the UAE.
Earlier, Qureshi was received at the Dubai International Airport by Pakistan Consul General Ahmed Amjad Ali and Imtiaz Gondal, Deputy Head of Mission at the Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi. During his visit from December 17 to 18, Qureshi is expected to hold meetings with the UAE officials and also have media interaction.
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According to Pakistan Foreign Office statement, the Foreign Minister will hold discussions with the UAE leadership on all areas of mutual interest including regional and global issues. “The Foreign Minister will exchange views on bilateral cooperation, in particular trade, investment and the welfare of Pakistani diaspora.” UAE is home to the second largest Pakistani community abroad with more than 1.4 million overseas Pakistanis living here. Qureshi left for Abu Dhabi for meetings after landing in Dubai on Thursday.
“Pakistan and the UAE enjoy historic fraternal relations, rooted firmly in shared history, common faith, values and mutual respect. High-level visits are an important feature, which not only exhibit cordial ties between the two countries but also accord the leadership an opportunity to give further impetus to strengthening bilateral cooperation on a wide range of issues,” the statement added.
Foreign Minister Qureshi had earlier visited the UAE in January this year to attend the 9th Sir Bani Yas Forum which discussed issues related to the Middle East.
Among those who attended the meeting were Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group; Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation; Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, Director-General of the Department of Protocol and Hospitality in Dubai; Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan, and Ahmed Amjad Ali, Consul-General of Pakistan in Dubai.
