UAE president arrives in Pakistan on first official trip

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday arrived in Pakistan on his first official visit.

Sheikh Mohamed was received by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir and other federal ministers at the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, a garrison city adjacent to the capital Islamabad.

His plane was escorted by Pakistani fighter jets upon entering Pakistani airspace.

According to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, this is Sheikh Mohamed's first visit to Pakistan as president. He assumed the office in May 2022.

In January, he met Sharif in Rahim Yar Khan, a city in Punjab province, on a private visit.

During the visit, the two leaders are expected to review the full spectrum of Pakistan-UAE relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, the ministry said.

The UAE is one of Pakistan's largest trading partners, with bilateral trade exceeding $10 billion last year, and home to around 1.8 million Pakistani expatriates.

Remittances from Pakistanis working in the UAE reached about $6.7 billion in 2024 and are projected to surpass $7 billion in 2025.

The ministry said the visit "provides an important opportunity to further strengthen the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and the UAE. It reflects the depth of bilateral ties and the shared commitment to enhancing cooperation in key areas, including trade, investment, energy, development, and regional stability."