UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has said the decision to suspend the issuance of visas to Pakistani citizens was taken due to the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions are ‘temporary’. Appreciating Pakistani community in UAE, the UAE foreign minister said in a statement that more than 1.5 million of the Pakistani diaspora enjoy safety and stability there and praised their great role and active contribution towards growth and prosperity of the country. He noted that this reflected the interconnectivity of people of the two friendly countries, stressing temporary nature of the recent restrictions imposed on the issuance of visas due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. He said Pakistan-UAE close ties continued to strengthen over the past decades representing a unique case in Arab-Asian relations in the region. “The close relations between the UAE and Pakistan have continued to strengthen over the past decades, and translated into multi-faceted cooperation, which represents a unique case in Arab-Asian relations in the region, as political relations between the UAE and Pakistan are based on a long history of joint action, trust, and respect,” he said. The mutual interests and visions of the two countries converged on issues of regional and international importance through the principles of tolerance and inclusiveness, he added. The UAE foreign minister affirmed depth of the distinguished relations between the two countries and showed keenness to enhance and develop further aspects of joint cooperation across all fields. He recalled that Pakistan was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the UAE. The two countries share strong historical ties that enhance prospects of their broad cooperation across all fields.