ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday met with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan who arrived on a brief visit of Islamabad.
The prime minister expressed satisfaction at the frequent exchange of high-level visits between Pakistan and the UAE and the steady development of cordial ties between the two fraternal countries
Both held wide-ranging talks focusing on bilateral, regional and international issues. The discussions continued over the luncheon hosted by the prime minister in honour of the Crown Prince and his accompanying entourage.
Underlining the strategic importance of the Pakistan-UAE special relationship, the Prime Minister stressed the imperative of deeper economic engagement. He highlighted the economic turnaround in Pakistan and the growing opportunities for foreign investment as well as fruitful trade and commercial engagement with key partner countries.
Welcoming the UAE’s interest in investing in myriad sectors in Pakistan, the Prime Minister assured maximum facilitation for UAE investments. Among others, the possibilities in the energy and tourism sectors were highlighted. Closer collaboration in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector was also underlined.
READ MORE: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince meets Gen Bajwa
The Prime Minister highlighted the positive contributions of more than 1.6 million expatriate Pakistani community, which considers UAE as their second home. He thanked the UAE leadership and its people for their commitment to Pakistan’s socio-economic development, focused in particular on health, education and youth.
PM Imran Khan apprised about India’s inhuman lockdown in the Indian Occupied Kashmir, continuing for over 150 days. He highlighted India’s discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens and their negative consequences. He underscored the need for the world community to take urgent steps to address India’s state oppression in Indian-Occupied Kashmir immediate removal of the continuing lockdown and other restrictions.
The prime minister also apprised of Pakistan’s efforts and positive contribution to the Afghan peace and reconciliation process. He underlined that a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan and the region.
The Crown Prince underlined the strategic importance of UAE-Pakistan relations and extended cordial greetings for the brotherly people of Pakistan and good wishes for their accelerated development in the year 2020 and beyond. He also underlined UAE’s support for peace and stability in South Asia and peaceful resolution of issues.
Earlier, in a special gesture, the Crown Prince was received by Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Nur Khan Airbase. The visit was the first by a foreign dignitary to Pakistan in 2020, and reflective of the special relations between Pakistan and UAE, which continue to grow deeper with the passage of time. The two leaders reaffirmed their resolve to take these relations to a new level.
