Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says with the steps being taken by the government and especially after smart lockdown in various cities, Pakistan is witnessing a downturn in the COVID-19 pandemic and recovered cases has been outnumbering new cases.

He said this during telephonic conversation with Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday.

The Foreign Minister thanked Sheikh Abdullah for enquiring about his health, his prayers and best wishes. He also apprised his UAE counterpart about the latest situation of the outbreak in Pakistan.

He also congratulated the leadership and the people of the UAE on successful launch of the first Arab interplanetary Mission.

He conveyed that the UAE's Mars Mission (Hope Probe) is a pride for all Muslims and a great contribution to human knowledge.

The UAE Foreign Minister appreciated the response of the Pakistan government in tackling the pandemic.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah highlighted efforts of the UAE government in controlling the pandemic and shared that the UAE is engaged with efforts for working on developing vaccine for the virus in collaboration with its international partners.

The two ministers agreed to meet as soon as the pandemic is over.