President Asif Ali Zardari has emphasized the need for further boosting bilateral ties between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the areas of trade, economy, aviation, renewable energy, climate change, and human resource development for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
The president expressed these views while talking to the Ambassador of UAE to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi who called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr today.
He said that Emirati businesses should be encouraged to invest in the PSX to infuse innovative ideas and more capital into the Pakistani economy. Talking about Sindh, the president apprised that Pakistan had started investing in mangrove forests and was trading carbon credits in the international market. He suggested that Pakistan and the UAE should mutually benefit from this opportunity.
He said that projects had been undertaken for the lining of canals to overcome seepage and boost agricultural production. He maintained that Pakistan and the UAE needed to collaborate in the agricultural sector by sharing new technologies as food security was a growing concern for the region due to climate change.
Talking to the envoy, the president urged the need to increase collaboration in the aviation industry to facilitate the Pakistani diaspora in the UAE, including the initiation of commercial flights of Airbus A380s.
During the meeting, the ambassador highlighted that the UAE was committed to Pakistan’s development and would continue to stand with Pakistan. He urged the need to transform the existing bilateral relationship into a strategic partnership between Pakistan and the UAE.
He called for focusing on economic diplomacy, adding that big companies from the UAE were keen to invest in aviation, agriculture, renewable energy (solar), education, and healthcare in Pakistan. He informed that the UAE had recently hosted COP-28 and pledged $100 million for the “loss & damage” fund to help vulnerable countries deal with the adverse effects of climate change. He said that Pakistan could benefit from this fund to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
