Irena a victory for all Arab and Muslim countries, Saudi MP says

Riyadh: A host of prominent Saudi figures, including senior government officials, parliamentarians and economic experts, congratulated the UAE on winning the bid to host the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).

They said it shows that the foreign policy pursued by the UAE under the leadership of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan was a resounding success.

This, they said, was significant considering the stiff competition involving a number of leading European countries such as Germany, France, Denmark and Austria, which have vast influence and expertise in the diplomatic, organisational and scientific fields, in securing this prestigious position.

Speaking to Gulf News, they shared their views that selection of Abu Dhabi as the site of the headquarters of Irena at a recent conference attended by representatives of some 130 countries at Egypt's Sharm Al Shaikh shows a clear breakthrough ending the monopoly of the Western countries in hosting such international organisations.

It is the first international agency to be headquartered outside North America or Europe.

Saudi Minister of Water and Electricity Abdullah Al Hussain described UAE's hosting of Irena headquarters as a victory for all Arab and Muslim countries.

"The UAE is worthy to win this landmark achievement. A number of initiatives, taken by the UAE in the field of protecting environment and preserving its energy sources, have made it qualified to home the headquarters of the international agency," he told Gulf News.

According to the Saudi minister, the UAE boasts having appropriate infrastructure facilities in the fields of renewable energy.

"It has also exercised successfully its diplomatic capabilities in convincing other countries, both developed and the developing, that it has the potential to host such an international organisation," he added.

On his part, Dr Sidque Fadel, member of the Shura Council, said winning the prestigious site of Irena headquarters is a great success of the balanced diplomatic course pursued by the UAE.

"This was obvious from the fact that most of the member countries of the Agency said publicly that UAE is the most eligible country to host the international organisation. It also shows the strategic geographical position of the country in between the major continents as well as its seat as a leading global hub of business, information technology, tourism, and investment," he said.

According to the Shura member, there had been tremendous support from the Arab, Asian and African countries, especially Saudi Arabia, in its bid to host the Irena headquarters.

"This collective effort was also a fruit of hectic diplomatic initiatives and contacts, exerted by the foreign minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan," he added.

Meanwhile, Naif Al Otaibi, director of Al Mustaqbal Energy Research Centre, noted that UAE had implemented strict environmental criteria and specifications besides announcing construction of a fully fledged city in this respect.