Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, as part of his Gulf tour over the weekend.
Sharif held a meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) as part of his visit to the UAE.
He arrived in Abu Dhabi on Saturday on his maiden visit to the UAE, the second leg of his Gulf tour, which took him to Saudi Arabia.
The two leaders, who met at the Qasr Al Shati Palace, "discussed advancing the longstanding relations between the two nations, and the prospects of propelling cooperation on various fronts as well as reviewed a number of regional and international issues of common concern," according to the state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM).
MBZ wished the newly elected premier "success in leading Pakistan towards further progress and prosperity over the coming period."
The crown prince hailed "historical relations" between the two nations and the "valuable contributions" made by the Pakistani community in the UAE.
The Pakistani prime minister thanked MBZ for the warm reception, commended the UAE's "great support" for his country in the development field and stressed his keenness to strengthen bilateral relations in various fields.
Meanwhile, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Sunday said they would discuss extending the term of a $3 billion loan to help Islamabad's faltering economy.
The Gulf nation has long been an intelligence partner of Pakistan as well as a regular source of financial relief for successive governments.
The latest sign of support follows a visit to Saudi Arabia by new Prime Minister Sharif, who has inherited a crippling national debt, galloping inflation and a feeble rupee.
A joint statement said the kingdom would continue to support the Pakistani economy and had discussed "augmenting the $3 billion deposit with the central bank through term extension or otherwise."
Saudia Arabia also pledged "to further enhance the financing of petroleum products" at a time when the South Asian country is suffering from frequent power cuts.
The statement comes after recent talks between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the release of funds under an existing $6 billion aid program that had stalled due to concerns about the pace of reforms.
The cash-strapped nation's foreign exchange reserves plunged below $11 billion last month.
"The little financial help we can get from any country would help us given the condition of our economy," Dr. Kaiser Bengali, a veteran economist, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"But for how long will we run our economy on loans? This policy is not going to work even for the next five years."
In recent years, Saudia Arabia has provided Pakistan with $4.2 billion of support in the form of the $3 billion loans deposited with the central bank as well as $1.2 billion in deferred oil payments.
As Sharif concluded his visit, Pakistani Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said he would stay in Riyadh to hold "technical-level talks."
Sharif was elected Pakistan's prime minister on April 11, succeeding Imran Khan, who was ousted in a parliament no-confidence vote.
