Islamabad (TDI): Outgoing United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Al-Zaabi paid a farewell call on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the PM House on Monday.
The meeting was also attended by Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kiyani, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, and Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch.
The Prime Minister congratulated the Ambassador on the successful completion of his tenure in Pakistan and thanked him for his contribution towards the strengthening of Pakistan-UAE relations.
He lauded the leadership of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, in forging closer Pakistan-UAE ties that were reflective of the longstanding, deep-rooted, fraternal bonds between both countries.
Read More: Pakistan Delivers UAE’s First Cargo to Central Asia via Karachi Corridor
The PM also expressed his satisfaction that in recent months, the two sides had taken important steps to further strengthen these ties, including the visits of Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the convening of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission, and the recently operationalized agreement on visa abolition for diplomatic and official passport holders.
The Prime Minister said that he looked forward to the official visit of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Pakistan at an early date, that would lend further impetus to the relationship between the two sides.
Read More: Pakistan’s First Lady, UAE Ambassador Hold Talks on Welfare, Economic Growth
Amb. Al Zaabi thanked the Prime Minister for receiving him for a farewell call and said he was deeply appreciative of the support and friendship that he had received throughout his nine-year stay in Pakistan, from the government as well as the people of the country.
While acknowledging the special bonds of friendship between the leadership and the people of both countries, the envoy said that he would continue to work for stronger Pakistan-UAE ties in the future.
Sohail Majeed
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
