ISLAMABAD: While the security situation in Afghanistan is unfolding, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates Wednesday agreed to strengthen their cooperation and remain engaged on regional issues, including the crisis in the war-ravaged country, the Foreign Office said.
During a telephonic conversation, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Emirates counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, expressed their resolve to continue “close collaboration” at various multilateral forums.
The UAE is one of a number of Gulf states that have been instrumental in staging posts for evacuation flights for foreigners and Afghans — along with Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain — after the Taliban takeover.
More than two-thirds of the 120,000 locals and foreigners who fled Afghanistan on these flights landed in the UAE, and Qatar, before going on to their final destinations.
It was one of the only three countries in the world — others being Pakistan and Saudi Arabia — to recognise the Taliban during its previous rule between 1996 and 2001.
Qureshi also congratulated Al Nahyan on making excellent arrangements for Expo 2020 — originally scheduled to be held between October 20, 2020 and April 10, 2021 but was pushed back to October 1, 2021 due to the Covid-19 — and expressed hope the event would be a “resounding success”.
The trade summit is expected to gather 200 countries vying for the attention of a projected 25 million visitors over the next six months until March 31, 2022.
Pakistan unveiled its pavilion and logo for the event, the largest pavilion ever constructed outside the country, in June with the aim of projecting a “modern, progressive and beautiful Pakistan”.
The facade of the pavilion is designed by Rashid Rana, an internationally renowned artist, whose work is displayed at the British Museum.
“For the conceptualisation and design of the facade, we drew inspiration from the changing seasons experienced by the country,” Rana told Khaleej Times at the time.
“To begin with, the façade is designed to attract and invite people inside and discover the hidden treasures of Pakistan such as its breathtaking landscapes, cultural and religious diversity, colourful traditions.
The vivid colours of the façade are also a reflection of the beautiful changing seasons the country experiences, one of the most diverse on Earth. This design for the Pakistan pavilion will remind visitors of the vivid colours of a painting, the slickness of design all come together to enhance the architecture — a truly hybrid work of creative practice,” he said.
