ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi on Monday conferred the prestigious Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) award on UAE Naval Forces’ commander Admiral Saeed bin Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Nehyan in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions in his field of work.

The ceremony, which was held at the President House in Islamabad, was attended by Pakistan’s Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi and a coterie of other senior officials.

“The president said that both Pakistan and the UAE have longstanding strategic and close political relations. He added that both countries maintain similarities of views on all important regional and international issues,” a statement released by the president’s office read.

The Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the second highest civilian award, is awarded to officers, individuals, and dignitaries to recognize their outstanding contributions in their fields.

The president emphasized that a lot of scope remains to enhance the existing ties between the armed forces of the two countries for cooperation, in the form of conducting joint drills and improving defense export, in addition to “the training of UAE military persons” in Pakistan’s training institutions, so that “more naval officers from the UAE can avail these opportunities”.

The president underlined that bilateral trade between both the countries has not reached its actual potential. “He stressed that efforts must be made to further enhance bilateral trade. He underscored that businessmen from the UAE can benefit from vast opportunities of investment in Pakistan in various sectors, especially tourism,” the statement read.

Admiral Al Nehyan thanked Dr. Alvi and the government of Pakistan for the award, adding that he hoped that bilateral relations between the two countries would further grow in the future. He also visited the naval headquarters in Islamabad and called on Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi.

“Pakistan Navy and UAE Naval Forces enjoy a long-standing and brotherly relationship. In the formative years of UAE Naval Forces, training facilities and technical advice rendered by Pakistan Navy laid solid foundation for the development of close ties between the two navies,” Pakistan Navy’s media wing said in a statement, adding that a “number of senior officers from the UAE’s naval forces were trained in Pakistan.”