Qureshi takes visas issue up with UAE minister

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday met United Arab Emirates State Minister Reem Al Hashimi and discussed with her the difficulties being faced by Pakistani citizens regarding UAE visas, emphasising their resolution at the earliest possible.

The two ministers held the meeting on the sidelines of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) 47th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Niger’s capital Niamey, where they exchanged views on bilateral cooperation, the Covid-19 situation, Pakistan’s participation in the (Dubai World) Expo, and other matters of mutual interest, a Foreign Office press release said.

Qureshi highlighted the close fraternal ties as well as people-to-people contacts between the two countries and stressed Pakistan’s commitment to forge closer cooperation with the UAE in diverse fields.

The meeting came days after reports that UAE had suspended issuing work visas to 13 countries, Pakistan among them. Appreciating Qureshi’s statement at the 47th CFM Session, the Emirati minister of state lauded Pakistan’s initiative to propose an OIC resolution on combating Islamophobia. The two sides also exchanged views on OIC matters and stressed the importance of further strengthening it as a united and pivotal platform for the Muslim Ummah.

It was also agreed to enhance mutual exchanges to carry forward the process of growing bilateral cooperation.

Qureshi also met Somalian State Minister for Foreign Affairs Balal Mohamed Osman on the sidelines of the moot and discussed bilateral ties with particular focus on enhancing trade and investment cooperation. The two sides discussed a wide range of issues with a focus on Pakistan-Somalia relations and mutual support at multilateral fora, the Foreign Office said.

The foreign minister stated that Pakistan, under its “Engage Africa” initiative, attached high importance to its relations with Africa and Somalia. The Somali minister of state conveyed gratitude over Pakistan’s consistent support and expressed the desire to forge closer ties in a range of areas. Briefing about overall environment in Somalia, he informed foreign minister Qureshi on improving law and order situation in the country. He stated that Somalia would like to benefit from Pakistan’s continued support in human resource development as well as its expertise in countering terrorism.

The state minister also invited Pakistani investors to take advantage of the investment opportunities in Somalia and identified the livestock, fisheries, agriculture and natural resources as key sectors in this regard. Foreign Minister Qureshi assured Pakistan’s full support for the reconstruction and economic development of Somalia. The two sides agreed to maintain close contact to follow up on key areas of mutual interest.

Qureshi discussed Pakistan’s Engage Africa initiative with his Sudanese counterpart Omar Qamaruddin Ismail as well. The foreign minister said the initiative was aimed at developing closer, stronger and cooperative relations with the African continent.

They exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional issues of common interest. Qureshi stated that Pakistan and Sudan enjoyed close fraternal relations based on common faith and similarity of views.

He highlighted Africa as an important continent with 1.3 billion population and 54 countries. The two foreign ministers also exchanged views on the ways to enhance trade and investment. The foreign minister stressed that there were enormous opportunities between the two countries in various fields, including security, education, health, agriculture.

Both sides agreed to maintain close contact and carry forward process of strengthening bilateral cooperation in diverse fields.