ISLAMABAD, MAR 18 /DNA/ – Amb. Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) to Pakistan, paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister today.

The Ambassador congratulated the Prime Minister on his re-election and conveyed best wishes of U.A.E. President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and hoped that the strong fraternal ties between the two countries would be strengthened further in the years ahead.

The Prime Minister thanked the U.A.E. leadership for their warm messages of greetings and conveyed his best wishes for President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Recalling the historic ties between Pakistan and the U.A.E., the Prime Minister said Pakistan attached great importance to its brotherly relations with U.A.E. The two countries had always supported each other and there was a strong desire on both sides to elevate the relationship to a higher level, the PM added.

The Prime Minister further said that Pakistan wanted to translate the tremendous political goodwill into a stronger economic partnership. Noting the exciting transformation of the U.A.E. into a hub for commerce, tourism, and investment, the Prime Minister said Pakistan wanted to partner with the U.A.E. He highlighted the role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as an efficient mechanism to attract foreign investment into priority sectors including agriculture, minerals & mining, I.T., renewable energy and industry.

On the multilateral side, the Prime Minister congratulated the U.A.E. for successfully hosting COP 28 meeting on climate change last year as well as its efforts to bring peace in Gaza while serving as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. He also appreciated the U.A.E. for hosting nearly 1.8 million Pakistanis who were a bridge between the two countries.

The Ambassador reaffirmed the U.A.E. leadership’s commitment to Pakistan and said that U.A.E. looked forward to work with the government of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to build stronger ties.

The Ambassador extended an invitation to the Prime Minister on behalf of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to visit the U.A.E. at the earliest convenience. While accepting the invitation, the Prime Minister also reiterated an invitation to the President of U.A.E. to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience and said the people of Pakistan were waiting to accord him a very warm welcome.