ISLAMABAD: Hamad Obaid Al-Zaabi, ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Monday held meetings with Pakistan’s newly elected president, prime minister and foreign minister, wherein he urged for the transformation of bilateral ties between both countries into a “strategic partnership,” the Pakistani government said.
The UAE ambassador met President Asif Ali Zardari at the President House in Islamabad and discussed with him affairs of mutual interest, according to a statement issued by the latter’s office.
The discussions revolved around investment in Pakistani stocks and mangrove forests, agriculture and cooperation in the domain of regional food security, which has been threatened by climate change.
“The UAE is committed to the development of Pakistan and will continue to stand by Pakistan,” the Emirati ambassador was quoted as saying by Pakistan presidency.
“The existing bilateral relations between Pakistan and the UAE need to be transformed into strategic partnership.”
The UAE ambassador noted that his country pledged $100 million for the “Loss and Damage” fund at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) and Pakistan could benefit from the fund to reduce the effects of climate change, according to the statement issued from President Zardari’s office.
The Emirati envoy congratulated Zardari on becoming Pakistan’s president for the second time and expressed good wishes on behalf of the leadership and people of the United Arab Emirates.
President Zardari thanked the UAE leadership for the congratulatory messages and stressed the need to further strengthen brotherly relations between the two countries.
Later, the UAE ambassador paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and conveyed best wishes of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, hoping that strong fraternal ties between the two countries would be strengthened further in the years ahead.
“The Prime Minister thanked the U.A.E. leadership for their warm messages of greetings and conveyed his best wishes for President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” PM Sharif’s office said in a statement.
“The Prime Minister further said that Pakistan wanted to translate the tremendous political goodwill into a stronger economic partnership. Noting the exciting transformation of the U.A.E. into a hub for commerce, tourism, and investment, the Prime Minister said Pakistan wanted to partner with the U.A.E.”
He highlighted the role of Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as an efficient mechanism to attract foreign investment into priority sectors, including agriculture, minerals and mining, information technology, renewable energy and industry, according to the statement.
The Pakistan premier congratulated the UAE for successfully hosting COP 28 conference as well as its efforts to bring peace in Gaza while serving as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. He also appreciated the UAE for hosting nearly 1.8 million Pakistanis who were a bridge between the two countries.
The UAE envoy also held a meeting with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and congratulated him on his assumption of the office, according to Dar’s ministry. The foreign minister reiterated his desire to work closely with the UAE leadership during his term in office.
During his meetings with the president and PM Sharif, the UAE ambassador invited them to visit the UAE at the earliest convenience, which the two top officials accepted. PM Sharif reiterated an invitation to the UAE president to visit Pakistan and said the people of his country were waiting to accord him a warm welcome, Sharif’s office said.