Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has personally thanked His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his visit to Pakistan on Sunday.
In a post on his official Instagram account, Khan praised the relations between the two countries in Arabic, the official language of the UAE, saying, “Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have long-standing brotherly relations, that strengthen day by day especially after the recent visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in which the two leaders discussed peace and prosperity between the two countries by supporting each other.”
Imran Khan thanked the UAE government for its support to Pakistan, the message said, adding, “The two leaders discussed various issues of regional and global importance.”
“The identical approach on these issues forms the basis of lasting and reliable friendship,” the message concluded.
The report from WAM adds that the message carries a picture of the two leaders showing their support for the Special Olympics of World Games that will be hosted by Abu Dhabi from 8th to 22nd March, 2019.
The picture reads, “Thank You, Your Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for your visit to Pakistan.”
A similar message on the official Twitter account of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, PTI, the ruling party of Pakistan, said, “The people of Pakistan and its political leadership convey their gratitude to the leadership of UAE for the new thaw in relations between the two countries and express thanks to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi for his visit to Pakistan. Long live UAE-Pakistan friendship.”
On 6th January, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Pakistan after 12 years since his last visit to the South Asian country in 2007. During his stay in Islamabad, he held talks with Prime Minister Imran Khan, focusing on strengthening the relations between the UAE and Pakistan, in addition to the current regional and international developments as per the report from WAM.
The UAE is a big financial contributor and helping Pakistan in many fields especially humanitarian support through UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme, UAE-PAP. The programme has been launched with the objective of providing help and humanitarian assistance to the people of Pakistan and support their development initiatives for a better future. Its mission is to execute development aid projects that offer sustainability and continuous benefits to beneficiaries over the long run.
In May 2018, President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered US$200 million for this assistance programme, which is funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, ADFD, and consist of 40 projects.
In December 2018, the UAE deposited US$3 billion (equivalent to AED11 billion) in the State Bank of Pakistan to support the bank’s liquidity and foreign currency reserves. The move has been seen as an affirmation of the UAE’s commitment since the time of the Founding Father, late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to stand by Pakistan.
Imran Khan has made two trips to UAE since assuming power in August 2018, and Sheikh Mohamed’s visit to Pakistan was the third interaction between the leadership of two countries in less than three months.
Photo from WAM
