Abu Dhabi, UAE – The official visit of the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which was scheduled for Monday,was postponed due to weather conditions.
During the visit, UAE President and Pakistan’s Prime Minister were due to discuss areas of mutual cooperation between the UAE and Pakistan. A phone call was held between Sheikh Mohamed and Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistani Prime Minister, during which they reviewed UAE-Pakistan relations and agreed to schedule another visit as soon as possible.
“Due to weather conditions, President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to the friendly Islamic Republic of Pakistan scheduled for today has been postponed to a later date,” a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
The Emirati president had arrived in Pakistan on January 25 on a private visit. On Monday, Al-Nahyan was scheduled to pay a visit to Islamabad to discuss friendship and cooperation between the Gulf state and Pakistan and ways to enhance them in various fields.
However, the PMO statement said today that the visit to the capital will now be rescheduled, adding that the new dates will be announced soon.
It stated that the UAE president contacted Pakistan PM Shehbaz and expressed his dismay at the postponement. In his response, the premier said that the “guest’s safety and protection were dearer to him and a risk could not be taken in extreme weather conditions”.
Al-Nahyan assured PM Shehbaz he would soon visit Islamabad on a two-day visit.
Earlier, the Pakistan prime minister along with Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, caretaker Punjab CM Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi received United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his arrival at Chandna Airport in Rahim Yar Khan.
During their interaction, the Pakistan prime minister recalled his recent visit to the UAE and emphasised that both countries would work on the understanding reached between the two leaders during that visit.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who arrived in Pakistan on a private visit, said the brotherly relations between the two countries went back many decades and his father, who had immense love for Pakistan and its people, laid the foundation of their bilateral ties.
The UAE president said that he considered Pakistan his second home and assured the premier that the UAE would always stand by the country.