ISLAMABAD: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan today, Friday, for his first official visit since assuming office, with Islamabad adorned with Pakistani and Emirati flags to mark the occasion.

The visit, taking place at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is aimed at reviewing bilateral ties and exploring ways to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy and development, according to Pakistan’s foreign office.

Ahead of the visit, Islamabad has been decked out with large billboards carrying images of the visiting UAE president alongside President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Sharif.

Rehearsals were also held a day earlier along roads leading to Constitution Avenue, the seat of the government, where groups dressed in traditional attire lined both sides of the route to welcome the visiting delegation.

“During the visit, His Highness will hold a meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, where the two leaders will review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the foreign office said in a statement announcing the UAE president’s planned arrival earlier this week.

“The visit will provide an important opportunity to further strengthen the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates,” it added.

The Islamabad administration has declared a public holiday in the capital, while the traffic police have rolled out an extensive plan to manage vehicular movement during the visit.

According to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan, heavy traffic entering the city has been barred from 6 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., with several main arteries closed and alternative routes designated.

Pakistan considers the UAE one of its closest regional and economic partners. The Gulf state is Islamabad’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States and remains a major source of foreign investment.

Over the past two decades, Emirati investment in Pakistan has exceeded $10 billion, according to the UAE’s foreign ministry.

Policymakers in Pakistan also consider the UAE an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.