Abu Dhabi: The entire capital was busy with receiving four prominent heads of state in four consecutive days this week, proving the visibility of the UAE and the Gulf region in global arena.
The whole spectrum of the capital - the government machinery, business and community leaders, hospitality industry – were busy with the delegations accompanying the heads of state during the whole week.
The series of state visits began with the arrival of Indian President Pratibha Patil on Sunday evening, followed by the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson on Monday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday and t Queen Elizabeth of II of the UK on Wednesday.
Stanislaw Tillich , the Prime Minister of Saxony, a German state, was also in the capital during this week.
"It shows the growing visibility of the UAE in global arena, still we have to see it in regional perspective also as it proves the growing importance of the Gulf region," Dr. Abdul Khaleq Abdullah, a Professor of Political Science at the UAE University in Al Ain, told Gulf News on Thursday.
There is no doubt that the UAE's global visibility is improving in not only economic front, but in political and diplomatic fronts too, he said. Its growing visibility is attracting friends from Europe, Americas an Asia, Abdulla said.
The UAE's role in regional peace and involvement in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nato has made it an international player, he said.
"At the same time we should not limit this ‘celebration of friendships' into one country's perspective alone," the professor pointed out.
Explaining the regional dimension of the latest diplomatic activities, he said: "The world gives attention to the UAE means this entire region is given importance. By making friendship with the UAE, they [foreign friends] use this country to reach the Gulf region," he said.
Dubai has been a gateway to the region for long time and now Abu Dhabi is gaining the position as the political capital of the Gulf region, Abdulla said.
"It shows that the international community is noticing the ‘Gulf economy, Gulf politics and Gulf diplomacy which are part of the ‘Gulf moment' [Gulf region gaining prominence] in the contemporary history," the professor explained.
Fully occupied hospitality
"Although most of the state guests stay at Emirates Palace, it is always not so," a spokesman of the hotel told Gulf News on Thursday.
He said the Queen Elizabeth and Egyptian President stayed at Emirates Palace which was fully occupied during the week.
As Gulf News reported Indian President stayed at Intercontinental but she brought her own chef to cook vegetarian food for her.
Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel and Resort said it received a great variety of crowd from the international business travellers joining the governmental visits, the high flying leisure guests and F1 enthusiasts coming for the last race of the world cup. The hotel was in full occupancy all month long, according to a statement.
