ISLAMABAD: UAE Ambassador Salem Mohammed Al Zaabi met Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and other members of the Pakistani cabinet on Sunday to review bilateral ties and discuss trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, the UAE embassy said.
Al Zaabi held separate meetings with Dar, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi, Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
“Views on the latest developments at the regional and international levels and matters of common interest between the two friendly countries were discussed and exchanged,” the UAE embassy in Islamabad wrote on social media platform X.
Meanwhile, the embassy said Zaabi discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance economic and trade cooperation in his meeting with Aurangzeb.
Pakistan enjoys cordial ties with UAE rooted in shared values, faith, culture and economic relations. The Gulf nation is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the US.
The UAE is also home to two million Pakistani expatriates, who make it the second-largest source of foreign remittances for cash-strapped Pakistan after Saudi Arabia.
The UAE is also a major source of foreign investment in Pakistan, which have been valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the Gulf state’s foreign ministry.
Policymakers in Pakistan consider the UAE an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.
Both nations have signed agreements worth billions of dollars recently as Pakistan eyes greater trade and economic ties with Gulf states. In January 2024, Pakistan and the UAE signed multiple agreements worth more than $3 billion for cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure.
