ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and UAE acknowledged the role of the Pakistani community in the UAE’s success during the foreign minister’s state visit, a foreign office statement said on Saturday at the conclusion of the trip.
Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s visit to the UAE, which ended on Friday, came at a time when international media is reporting the UAE has stopped issuing new visas to citizens of 13 mostly Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan.
“During the visit of the Foreign Minister, the two sides acknowledged Pakistani community’s positive contribution to the UAE’s success story,” the statement said.
The UAE is home to 1.2 million Pakistanis and the second largest host to overseas Pakistani workers and source of foreign remittances, after Saudi Arabia.
It added the foreign minister was in the UAE to reaffirm bilateral ties between the two countries, particularly in areas of trade and investment.
Qureshi also spoke to reporters in Abu Dhabi during a press conference on Friday and said he ‘hoped for a resolution soon’ with regards to the new UAE visa policy.
“Pakistani expatriates and workers have contributed immensely to the progress and development of both countries,” the statement said.
“A strong Pakistani diaspora in the UAE forms a strong people to people bridge between the two countries,” it added.
