Abu Dhabi crown prince to visit Pakistan on Jan 6

DUBAI: Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on January 6.

According to the  reports, Sheikh Mohammad, who is also deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces, had accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan extended by Prime Minister Imran Khan in a telephonic conversation last year.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has already announced that it will deposit $3 billion into Pakistan’s foreign currency account to help it successfully overcome international payment crisis and to avoid a stringent International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal.

It is learnt that  the crown prince will be accompanied by a high-level delegation.  The two sides are expected  to chalk out a comprehensive roadmap to accelerate cooperation and partnership in areas encompassing trade, investment, economic development, energy, infrastructure and agriculture, with a view to accrue early dividends from the economic partnership.

In November, 2018, Prime Minister Imran Khan held a meeting with his counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Matters of bilateral interests, and important international and regional issues came under discussion during the meeting.

The UAE Prime Minister had issued a statement in Urdu through his official Twitter account to welcome Imran Khan to the Gulf state. “We cherish our rich history of bilateral ties [with Pakistan] based on brotherhood and trade,” the UAE premier said.

A UAE delegation was expected to come to Pakistan in October, 2018 but it was cancelled as PM Imran was scheduled to meet Qatar’s foreign minister.