Sheikh Khalifa: Winning friends in the region

Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz on January 5, 2006. Salman was then Governor of Riyadh and is now King of Saudi Arabia. He had come to the UAE to offer his condolences following the death of Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Shaikh Khalifa with Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, then king of Saudi Arabia, during the 29th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Muscat in 2008. Abdullah died in January 2015.

Warm welcome: Shaikh Khalifa receives Oman’s Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed on his arrival for the 26th Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Abu Dhabi in 2005.

Landmark visit: Shaikh Khalifa and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, welcome Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his arrival in the UAE in 2007, the first visit by an Iranian head of state.

All smiles: Shaikh Khalifa receives Algerian President Abdul Aziz Bouteflika in Abu Dhabi in January 2001.

Honour: Shaikh Khalifa bestows the Zayed Order on King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa of Bahrain in Abu Dhabi in 2005.

Gratitude: Shaikh Khalifa receives the Al Aqsa Mosque plaque from Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in Abu Dhabi in August 2000.

Showing support: Shaikh Khalifa holds talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas during the latter’s visit to Abu Dhabi in August 2003.

Brotherly ties: Shaikh Khalifa receives Kuwait’s Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah at Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi in October 2009.

Strengthening ties: Shaikh Khalifa receives King Abdullah II of Jordan during his visit to Abu Dhabi in June 2006.

Helping hand: Shaikh Khalifa holds talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki in July 2006.

Reaching out: Shaikh Khalifa holds talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri in Abu Dhabi in 2010 during Hariri’s visit to the UAE.