President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday met Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral relations, with a focus on economic, trade and investment cooperation.

The meeting was held at Zabeel Palace in Dubai. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening brotherly ties and expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of Pakistan-UAE relations.

President Zardari congratulated Sheikh Mohammed on completing two decades as Ruler of Dubai and praised the emirate’s transformation into a global hub for tourism, finance and emerging technologies.

The two leaders exchanged views on benefiting from Dubai’s development experience, particularly in ports, logistics, infrastructure, information technology and digital financial services, according to a statement from the President Secretariat Media Wing.

The meeting was attended by First Lady Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE.

President Zardari highlighted Pakistan’s ongoing economic reforms, including investment facilitation and privatisation, and explored opportunities for enhanced cooperation in infrastructure development, logistics, food security and technology-driven sectors.

He also invited Sheikh Mohammed to visit Pakistan.

The leaders underscored the importance of high-level exchanges, recalled the recent visit of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Pakistan, and acknowledged the UAE’s continued support for Pakistan’s economic development.

They also highlighted the contribution of the Pakistani community in the UAE in strengthening people-to-people ties between the two countries.