Islamabad:  Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will embark on a three-day official visit to the UAE on Saturday during which he will hold discussions with the country’s leadership on all areas of bilateral cooperation including collaboration in trade and investment.

Foreign Office said that the Foreign Minister will meet his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other UAE dignitaries.

The UAE is home to the second-largest Pakistani community abroad.

The Foreign Minister will hold consultations with the UAE’s leadership on all areas of bilateral cooperation including collaboration in trade and investment, job opportunities for Pakistani workforce and the welfare of Pakistani diaspora, said the Foreign Office.

He will also discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Pakistan and the UAE enjoy strong fraternal ties, rooted deep in common faith and shared history and values.

High-level visits between the two countries have played a pivotal role in providing further impetus to strengthening bilateral cooperation and collaboration on a wide range of issues.

But the visit got additional importance after reports by the local and international media that the UAE hosted secret talks in January between Pakistani and Indian officials.

Weeks after this, the two sides agreed to restore the 2003 ceasefire agreement on the LOC in February, followed by reconciliatory messages sent by the leaders of the two countries.

Press Trust of India