New UAE envoy arrives in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The newly appointed Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Pakistan, Salem Mohammed Al Zaabi, arrived in Islamabad on Monday.

He succeeds Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi, who had served as the UAE’s envoy to Pakistan since September 2017 and recently concluded his tenure. The outgoing ambassador has now been assigned to Egypt.

Ambassador-designate Salem Mohammed Al Zaabi is expected to present his credentials to President Asif Ali Zardari in the coming days before formally assuming his diplomatic responsibilities.

Al Zaabi began his diplomatic career as the UAE Defence Attaché to France and Liaison Officer to NATO. He later served as Commander of the Signals Corps and Director of Training at the Armed Forces General Headquarters. He subsequently held the position of Executive Director for Policy and Cooperation at the UAE Ministry of Defence before retiring as a Major General and joining the Foreign Ministry in 2017.

Last month, he was among several newly appointed ambassadors who took the oath of office before President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi.

President Sheikh Mohamed wished them success in their missions, while Salem Mohammed Al Zaabi expressed gratitude for the confidence placed in him and reaffirmed his commitment to further strengthening the UAE’s ties with Pakistan.