ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi met his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Dubai and discussed issues of mutual interests, including promotion of bilateral cooperation in diverse fields.

“Always a pleasure to meet H.H Abdullah bin Zayed and discuss avenues for deepening Pak-UAE relations,” Mr Qureshi said in a tweet following the meeting held in Dubai late on Thursday.

Foreign Minister Qureshi in his tweet said: “The welfare of our 1.6 million strong Diaspora in the UAE was discussed, with the streng­th­ening of our people-to-people ties a cornerstone of our bilateral relationship.”

Mr Qureshi said Pakistan and the UAE enjoyed deep, historic and fraternal ties, adding that the UAE stood by Pakistan in every difficult hour. He briefed the UAE foreign minister on the deteriorating law and order situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The two ministers also discussed positive developments in terms of peace in Afghanistan.

Mr Qureshi expressed Pakistan’s commitment to continue his sincere efforts for peace and stability in the region, including Pakis­tan-Afghan peace process.

He said Pakistanis living in the UAE had been playing their part in the construction and development of the UAE for the past several decades.

Mr Qureshi said the role of Pakistani community in the UAE was very important in promoting public relations between the two countries. The foreign minister apprised his UAE counterpart of the difficulties faced by the Pakistani community in the UAE and stressed the need for addressing them on priority.

The two foreign ministers agreed to continue consultations on issues of mutual interest.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2020