Officials open high-level UAE-Pakistan meeting in Abu Dhabi

Dubai: The 10th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Commission of Pakistan and the UAE started in Abu Dhabi on Monday, with officials from both sides discussing the agenda prior to the foreign ministers meeting on Tuesday.

Jamil Ahmad Khan, Ambassador of Pakistan, in his opening remarks highlighted the cordial and brotherly relations between the two countries. He said Pakistan values this fraternal bond and is keen to expand cooperation in every field.

According to a press release from the Pakistan embassy, Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Hina Rabbani Khar, Foreign Minister of Pakistan, will also hold discussions on the second day of the ministerial meeting on Monday.

Deep appreciation

Khan pointed out that the UAE is among the leading sources of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Pakistan and expressed his deep appreciation for the continued interest of investors from the UAE in Pakistan, particularly in the petroleum, banking and telecommunications sectors.

"Other areas holding enormous promise for UAE-based investors in Pakistan through economic cooperation, joint ventures and investment include oil and gas, power generation, financial sector, telecommunications, construction, infrastructure development, energy, tourism, agriculture, mining and food processing," he added.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Khalid Ganem Al Gaith, Aide for Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that relations between the UAE and Pakistan are acquiring new dimensions at all political, economic and social levels.

He said that this 10th session of the Joint Ministerial Commission reflects the deep desire of both countries to upgrade our relations.

He said it is very encouraging to note that the trade volume is more than $7 billion (Dh25 billion) "which clearly indicates the depth of our relations and historic ties.

Mutual benefits

"Our deep-rooted relations should be translated into tangible mutual benefits in trade and commerce," he emphasised.

Both sides expressed the hope that this session of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Commission will be successful in coming up with decisions and recommendations to the satisfaction of the two sides and take the ties between the two countries to new heights.