For generations, the people of the UAE and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed close and warm brotherly relations. On Monday, those ties that bind the two nations were pulled tighter with the setting up of a joint council to coordinate efforts and bolster links between the allies. That the council was established in a meeting in Jeddah between King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, shows how strategically important this relationship is in terms of economics and shaping a shared vision for the region.
While the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) plays a key role in uniting the six states of the Arabian Gulf, this new council underscores the strong historic, religious, social and cultural relations between UAE and Saudi Arabia and together, the two countries can have a positive impact on the economies of the other GCC nations. The joint economic clout of the two also overshadows other economies across the Middle East and North Africa.
But the relationship between the UAE and Saudi Arabia runs far deeper than fostering close business ties. Together, the two nations have stood as loyal and inseparable allies in confronting the challenges that face this region. Whether it’s on the international stage, at the United Nations or in facing the deadly threat posed by Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), the security and armed forces of both nations have never shirked from their individual and collective responsibilities. Wherever and whenever Daesh raises its extremist voice, the UAE and its Saudi brothers have answered the call to silence it. This council will play a key strategic role in ensuring that the cooperation between the two nations will focus on eliminating all threats to security across the region. And the council will provide an effective means to coordinate policies and outlooks that benefit the Arab world.
The events of these past five years have witnessed the hope of the Arab Spring turn to chaos, while Libya, Syria and Iraq have all been ripped apart by forces of destabilisation and extremism. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have stood together as voices of reason, acting in unity, leading the way for the Arab world. Together, the two nations have acted as one, fighting the forces of instability and illegality in Yemen. And together, the two nations will stand as one against those who threaten their economic or political unity.
