P.M. Shehbaz Sharif is greeted by U.A.E. Economy Minister Abdullah bin Touq al-Marri upon his arrival at Abu Dhabi. Photo courtesy PID
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif left Islamabad for a two-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) on Thursday, with the Foreign Office saying he is accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes several members of his cabinet.
According to the Foreign Office, this is the prime minister’s third visit to the U.A.E. since assuming office in April 2022. He was invited to visit the Gulf state on the invitation of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, it added.
“My visit to the U.A.E. is aimed at building on the conversation I have had with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” Sharif said in a posting on Twitter. “We share a resolve and understanding [on] the continuous efforts needed to be made to further strengthen trade, investment and economic relations,” he added.
During the visit, per the Foreign Office, the prime minister will meet the U.A.E. president with a particular focus on advancing economic, trade and investment ties between the two brotherly countries and creating increased opportunities for the Pakistani workforce in the Gulf state. The two leaders would also exchange views on a range of regional and global issues of mutual interest, it said, adding that Sharif would also meet the prime minister and vice president of the U.A.E., as well as the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Additionally, the prime minister is scheduled to hold meetings with Emirati businessmen and investors to discuss ways to enhance bilateral trade and investment.
The Foreign Office noted that the U.A.E. is home to around 1.7 million Pakistanis who have played a pivotal role in its success for the past five decades, contributing to the progress, prosperity and economic development of the two brotherly countries. It said Pakistan and the U.A.E. enjoy close and fraternal ties based on common faith and traditions, shared history and heritage; deep-rooted cultural affinities, geographic proximity and identity of view on several regional and global issues. Regular high-level exchanges and visits are a key feature of this relationship, it added.