FM Qureshi phones UAE counterpart to discuss situation arising out of COVID-19

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday held a telephonic conversation with his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss matters related to the global outbreak of COVID-19 and prospects of enhanced bilateral cooperation to jointly address the situation, ARY News reported.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO), FM Qureshi informed his counterpart about the latest situation of the outbreak in Pakistan and the steps taken by the government for its containment.

In the wake of the global pandemic and its far-reaching economic consequences, He highlighted the call by Prime Minister Imran Khan for debt relief and restructuring to create the fiscal space needed to save human lives and shore up economies. In this context, he also underscored the need for close economic cooperation to mitigate the impact of the economic slowdown, read the statement.

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While thanking the UAE for timely repatriation of Pakistani citizens from Dubai Airport, the foreign minister lauded the measures adopted by the UAE authorities to curtail the spread of the virus.

On the occasion, the UAE foreign minister extended his condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan. He noted that concrete steps would be required globally to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on the economies.

He underscored that UAE would be looking after its own citizens as well as expatriates in the Emirates against the pandemic. The foreign minister also offered UAE’s support in pursuance of distant learning education programs in Pakistan.

The two sides agreed to stay in contact for effective containment of the outbreak and share best practices in this regard.