Pakistan rolls out red carpet for UAE crown prince

Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Islamabad on Thursday with a high-level delegation for a day-long visit. 

Prime Minister Imran Khan received Sheikh Mohammad at Nur Khan Air Base. The prime minster later drove the crown prince to the Prime Minister House.

According to Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui, during the visit the crown prince will have a one-on-one meeting with the prime minister and other senior government officials. 

Read more: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince named Arab world's most influential leader of 2019 

The visit comes after the crown prince met Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on December 14. In the meeting between the two, ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries were discussed.

The visit by Sheikh Mohammad illustrates the strength of the Pakistan-United Arab Emirates (UAE) relationship. The UAE is Pakistan’s largest trading partner in the Middle East and a major source of investments.

The UAE is also among Pakistan’s prime development partners in education, health and energy sectors.

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Last year, Sheikh Mohammad had visited Pakistan for one-on-one meetings with PM Imran, followed by delegation-level talks.

This is also the second visit by an Arab leader in just two weeks. Last month, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud had visited Pakistan for a day-long trip.