PM Shehbaz Sharif to visit UAE on Thursday

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will undertake a two-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on January 12-13, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson said that the prime minister will visit UAE at the invitation of President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

PM Shehbaz Sharif will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including key members of the cabinet. This would be the prime minister’s third visit to the UAE after assuming office.

During the visit, the prime minister will meet the UAE 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 UAE.

The two leaders will also exchange views on a range of regional and global issues of mutual interest.

PM Shehabz Sharif will meet with the UAE Prime Minister and Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

During the visit, the prime minister will hold meetings with Emirati businessmen and investors to discuss ways to enhance bilateral trade and investment.

The UAE is home to around 1.7 million Pakistanis who have been playing a pivotal role in the success story of the UAE, for the last five decades, contributing to the progress, prosperity and economic development of the two brotherly countries

It is pertinent to mention here that PM Shehbaz Sharif co-hosted an international conference on ‘Climate Resilient Pakistan’ in Geneva along with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

The conference brought together governments, leaders from the public and private sectors and civil society to support the people and the government of Pakistan to deal with the enormous challenge of post-flood reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Pakistan secured over $10 billion in pledges from international financial institutions, donor agencies and development partners for the rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction of flood-affected areas, during the International Conference.

The major pledges made at the conference, co-chaired by Pakistan and the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, included $4.2 billion from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), $2 billion from the World Bank, $1.5 billion from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), $1 billion from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and $1 billion from Saudi Arabia, according to the state news agency.