ISLAMABAD – Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is set to begin athree-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday (today).

During the short visit to the Gulf state, the Foreign Minister will meethis counterpart Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other Emiratidignitaries. Qureshi will also hold consultations with the top leadershipon all areas of bilateral cooperation including collaboration in trade andinvestment, job opportunities for the Pakistani workforce, and the welfareof Pakistani ex-pats.

A statement released by a Foreign Office spokesperson said both sides willalso discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest. High-levelvisits between the two countries have played a pivotal role in providingfurther impetus to strengthening bilateral cooperation and collaboration ona wide range of issues.

This visit will be the FM’s first official visit to the Emirates in thebackdrop of confirmation by Emirati Ambassador to the US Yousef al-Otaiba,who said Pakistani and Indian officials had travelled to Dubai for talks.