ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief General Syed Asim Munir and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed enhancing military and defense ties between the two countries during a telephonic conversation on Sunday, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) said.
Pakistan has always maintained close diplomatic and defense relations with the UAE. The Gulf country employs a large number of Pakistani workers and is an important investment partner of the South Asian nation in the Middle East. According to official data, the Pakistani diaspora in the UAE remitted a whopping $5.10 billion in 2022, second only to remittances from Saudi Arabia which were recorded at $6.67 billion last year.
A couple of months after his appointment to the post, Munir visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE in January to discuss bilateral relations, defense and military ties between the two countries. During his visit to the two countries, the army chief met the UAE president and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“During a phone call today, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed with Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir the enhancement of cooperation and joint work between the UAE and Pakistan in defense and military affairs, and ways to support and strengthen them to serve the mutual interests of both nations,” WAM reported.
During the telephonic conversation, the UAE president emphasized his country’s commitment to supporting “all that achieves unity and stability” in Pakistan and meets the aspirations of the people of Pakistan.
“The Pakistani Army chief expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the UAE President and extended his wishes for the UAE’s continuous development, progress, and prosperity,” WAM added.
In recent years, Pakistan and the UAE have collaborated in the fields of defense and security.
Grappling with a worsening economic crisis, Islamabad has looked toward Abu Dhabi for help in securing a crucial International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout. To release $1.1 billion for Pakistan as part of the bailout program, the international lender has sought guarantees from “friendly countries” such as China, UAE and Saudi Arabia that they would financially support Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed last month that the UAE had confirmed to financially support Pakistan with $1 billion, brightening the South Asian country’s prospects of reviving the $6.5 billion loan program.
