ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar has arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to participate today, Monday, in the 12th session of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC), according to the Pakistani foreign office.
The JMC serves as the highest institutionalized platform for bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and the UAE and the upcoming session will take forward the agenda of deepening strategic, economic and development cooperation between the two brotherly countries.
The Pakistani delegation will be led by Dar and comprise senior officials from economic affairs, commerce, energy, maritime affairs and interior ministries, according to the Pakistani foreign office.
The UAE side will be led by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, along with high-level representation from relevant Emirati institutions.
“The session will review progress across multiple domains of bilateral cooperation and explore new avenues for collaboration in trade, investment, energy, infrastructure development and IT,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
“A number of legal instruments are expected to be finalized during the session to institutionalize sectoral cooperation.”
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and a major source of foreign investment valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the UAE’s foreign ministry.
Policymakers in Pakistan consider the Emirates an optimal export destination due to their geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.
Both countries have stepped up efforts in recent years to strengthen their economic relations. In Jan. 2024, Pakistan and the UAE signed multiple agreements worth more than $3 billion for cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure.
“The [JMC] session will provide an important opportunity for both sides to align their economic priorities and unlock the potential of enhancing scope of mutually beneficial partnership,” the foreign office added.
