ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir had a meeting with President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi to discuss various aspects of bilateral relations between the two countries, the UAE embassy in Pakistan announced on Saturday.
The army chief’s visit came only a month after the UAE president assured the cash-strapped South Asian state of full support before rolling over his country’s existing deposit of $2 billion in Pakistan’s central bank.
President Al Nahyan also announced that the UAE would lend an additional $1 billion to help the administration in Islamabad which has been actively seeking external financing from allies and multilateral organizations to shore up its dwindling forex reserves and manage an ongoing economic crisis.
“H.H Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE, receives at Qasr Al Shati Palace Abu Dhabi General Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the embassy said in a Twitter post.
It added that during the meeting, which took place on Friday, the two sides discussed ways of further enhancing bilateral cooperation.
According to some media reports, the meeting also focused on defense and military affairs.
Pakistan has always maintained close diplomatic ties with the UAE which employs a large number of its workers who remitted $5.10 billion to their home country last year.
The UAE is also Pakistan’s largest trade partner in the region, and the two sides are currently striving to increase the quantum of their trade which stood at $10.6 billion during the last calendar year.
