ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi on Wednesday reaffirmed his country’s desire to develop bilateral ties with Pakistan on the basis of mutual respect, understanding, and common interests, the Foreign Office said.
According to a statement, the UAE’s ambassador expressed this desire during a meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It stated that the UAE ambassador hailed the strong UAE-Pakistan relations and pledged to work towards further strengthening and diversifying them in all sectors for the benefit of the two countries and their peoples.
He acknowledged the positive contribution made by Pakistani diaspora towards the progress and development of the UAE.
“Ambassador Al Zaabi reaffirmed the UAE’s desire to develop bilateral ties with Pakistan on the basis of mutual respect, understanding, and common interests,” it added.
The foreign minister termed Pakistan’s relationship with the UAE as a special one.
He stressed that the relationship benefited from the warm sentiments between the leadership of the two countries, as well as the strong people-to-people linkages rooted in shared faith, values and culture.
He added that Pakistan always accorded paramount importance to its long-standing fraternal ties with the UAE.
Recalling his successful visit to the UAE in December 2020, Qureshi underscored the importance of frequent high-level visits from both sides, which serve to continually provide impetus towards deepening and diversifying bilateral relations.
He looked forward to enhanced high-level engagements with the UAE, as soon as the global health situation improved.
The foreign minister appreciated the UAE’s support for Pakistan’s Expo 2020 pavilion (to be held in 2021) covering an approximate area of 3,500 sq meters.
The pavilion will exhibit Pakistan’s culture, investment opportunities and tourism potential in the largest exhibition ever staged in the Arab world (190 countries and 25 million people projected to participate).
Qureshi also paid rich tribute to late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who contributed immensely towards strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.
He acknowledged that the UAE and its leadership steadfastly stood by Pakistan in its times of need.
The UAE is Pakistan’s largest trading partner in the Middle East.
Under the patronage of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, (UAE-Pakistan Assistance Programme), valuable support was provided to Pakistan in the areas of education, health, energy, and infrastructure development.
The UAE is home to more than 1.6 million Pakistanis – the second largest Pakistani expatriates’ community abroad.
Meanwhile, non-resident Ambassador of Kosovo to Pakistan Ilir Dugolli also held a meeting with Foreign Minister Qureshi.
Talking to him, he said that Pakistan supports peaceful resolution of conflicts for economic stability in the region.
Qureshi said that Pakistan has continuously been drawing attention of the global community for lawful rights of unarmed and oppressed Kashmiris, their access to right to self-determination as well as regional peace and security.
He said that Pakistan is an emerging market and offers investment opportunities for the business community of the Kosovo.
Emphasising on the importance of enhanced economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, the foreign minister said that it will further strengthen bilateral relations.
Ambassador Dugolli assured that he will diligently work for the promotion of bilateral ties between Pakistan and Kosovo.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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