DUBAI: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrived here on Saturday 17th of April, 2021 on a three-day official visit to the UAE.
At the airport he was received by the senior officials of the UAE Foreign Ministry and Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE Afzal Mehmood. Shah Mahmood Qureshi is scheduled to call on a number of UAE dignitaries including his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss regional and global issues.
The two sides will also ponder over means to augment bilateral cooperation in trade & investment, job opportunities and welfare of Pakistani diaspora. It is pertinent to mention here that UAE harbors the second largest Pakistani community abroad. The two countries enjoy strong ties profoundly rooted in common faith and norms.
Speaking at a Iftar dinner hosted by Pakistan Business Council here, FM claimed that the PTI-led incumbent government with its economic diplomacy had successfully attracted the world towards the business opportunities available in Pakistan. Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that it was a matter of satisfaction that despite Pandemic Pakistan had achieved positive results by means of its diplomacy. Maintaining that the aim of his visit was to promote Pak-UAE trade terms he stated that bilateral relations in diverse fields had improved.
Taking to the twitter Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has stated: “Good to be in the UAE and to have met the Pakistan Business Council Dubai for a constructive session on Economic Diplomacy. The Pakistani community in the UAE continue to play a positive role across all echelons of business & work with great contributions to the development of UAE and Pakistan.”
Maintaining that the hard work of Pakistanis living in UAE was contributing enormously towards the development of the gulf state, he said that PTI govt’s priority was to resolve issues of the overseas Pakistanis, work for their welfare and well being. Conspicuous among others at the Iftar Dinner there were president and other representatives of Pakistan Business Council, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE Afzaal Mehmood and Consul General at Dubai Ahmed Amjad Ali.
Overall the FM is scheduled to undertake a four-nation tour that includes, besides UAE, Qatar, Iran and Turkey as part of diplomatic outreach to augment bilateral cooperation and do brainstorming over the Afghan peace process.
After UAE’s 3-day official visit FM will travel to Iran, Qatar and Turkey. In Turkey he will attend the UN conference on Afghanistan. The FM’s visit is aimed at evolving a consensus among key stakeholders of the Afghan peace process prior to the conference that would bring together delegates from a number of countries.
It may be recalled that the Conference was to kick off in Istanbul on Friday 16th of April but had to be postponed as Taliban (reacting to Biden’s announcement that the US troops would leave Afghanistan by 9/11/2021 instead of 1st day of May) had refused to join the proceedings.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, terming Pakistan’s relationship with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as “special” said the Emirati leadership steadfastly stood by Pakistan in its times of need. In a meeting held in Islamabad on 20th day of January, 2021 with UAE’s ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said Pakistan always accorded paramount importance to its long-standing fraternal ties with the UAE.
Qureshi paid rich tribute to late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who he said contributed immensely towards strengthening bilateral ties. Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored the importance of frequent high-level visits from both sides, which served to continually provide impetus towards deepening and diversifying bilateral relations.
He looked forward to enhanced high-level engagements with the UAE, as soon as the global health situation improved. The Foreign Minister appreciated the UAE’s support for Pakistan’s Expo pavilion to be held in 2021, covering an approximate area of 3,500 sq. meters. The pavilion will exhibit Pakistan’s culture, investment opportunities and tourism potential in the largest exhibition ever staged in the Arab world, with 190 countries and 25 million people projected to participate.
The UAE Ambassador hailed the strong UAE-Pakistan relations and pledged to work towards further strengthening and diversifying them in all sectors for the benefit of the two countries and their peoples. He acknowledged the positive contribution made by Pakistani diaspora towards the progress and development of the UAE. Ambassador Al Zaabi reaffirmed the UAE’s desire to develop bilateral ties with Pakistan on the basis of mutual respect, understanding, and common interests.
The UAE is Pakistan’s largest trading partner in the Middle East. Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, (UAE-Pakistan Assistance Program), valuable support was provided to Pakistan in the areas of education, health, energy and infrastructure development. The UAE is home to more than 1.6 million Pakistanis – the second largest Pakistani expatriates’ community abroad.
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