Jeddah: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has asserted that the UAE is keen on bolstering cooperation between countries in the region and coordination with partners to achieve peace and further stability in the region and the world, as well as tackle global challenges.
The UAE President said that the UAE’s foreign policy is founded on a balanced approach and efforts to broaden the base of interests it shares with other countries to further contribute to realising national development goals, as well as global peace and stability.
“We are all aware of the size of challenges that the region and the world are facing, and from that arises a need to align and enhance global efforts to achieve our peoples’ aspirations of further progress and prosperity,” Sheikh Mohamed said while participating in the Jeddah Security and Development Summit, which saw the attendance of GCC leaders, US President Joe Biden, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Abdul Fattah Al Sissi, President of Egypt, and Dr. Mustafa Al Kadhimi, Prime Minister of Iraq.
The UAE President went on to highlight the UAE’s belief that peace, dialogue and coexistence are the way to secure the future of generations to come, adding that the path towards achieving a renaissance in the region and restoring its active role on the global arena is clear, as achieving these two objectives requires further solidarity and cooperation and enhancing education opportunities, while maintaining the wellbeing of humans as the main goal.
Historical events have proven that the only way to end conflicts and tensions is utilising wisdom, abiding by international law and using diplomatic means and solutions to resolve problems, thus protecting the interests of everyone involved and preventing further war- and conflict-induced human suffering, Sheikh Mohamed continued.
He added that overcoming challenges is achieved through international cooperation in enhancing advanced education opportunities, fostering innovation, focusing on the future prospects of technology, supporting scientific research and bolstering economic ties.
Furthermore, the UAE President affirmed that the UAE will remain a main and trusted partner in the global drive to achieve stability and prosperity, adopting an approach that is developed around the pillars of achieving peace and development for all world nations.
“We are working to establish frameworks for dialogue and joint work, and are confident of our ability, as a region, to take initiative and bear our responsibilities towards our issues, as well as play a key role in dealing with global issues that affect all of humanity, including climate change and food and energy security,” Sheikh Mohamed noted, adding that the partnership between the US and countries in the region is a strong foundation for fruitful cooperation, especially in issues relating to regional and global development.
The UAE President expressed his thanks and appreciation to Saudi Arabia for hosting the summit and to President Biden for his participation.
Accompanying Sheikh Mohamed during the summit were Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of State, Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council, and Khaldoun Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority.
The summit reaffirms the points made by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the I2U2 Summit which was a day earlier with US, India and Israel participating.
Prior to the summit, the UAE announced an investment initiative in Indian food parks in order to ensure global food security. This is also related to the current summit.
The UAE is taking part to strengthen Gulf unity and guarantee the security of the Gulf and its people.
The country views the participation of Arab countries in the summit as a sign of Arab unity in the face of regional and global crises.
The UAE reiterates that its participation in the Jeddah Security and Development Summit is consistent with its policies aimed at fostering international collaboration in order to counter regional challenges and risks.
The UAE and its leadership believe that such summits are the best way to foster collaboration, achieve peace, and avert conflicts amongst all of the region’s peoples and nations.
The historic relationship between the US and our region has to be maintained and developed.
The UAE strives to enhance communication, dialogue, and joint action.
It plays a major role in addressing many issues facing humanity, foremost of which are climate change, sustainable energy, security, and food.
The country believes that promoting peace, dialogue, and coexistence are the best way to fortify the future of generations to come.
It welcomes summits of this nature, as they allow the nation to reaffirm its commitment to bringing about peace and goodwill amongst nations and peoples.
The UAE-US relationship is strategically significant and serves as a good example of how balanced international relations should be.
The Gulf and Arab solidarity, in which the UAE is part of during these important historical occasions, provide the region with instruments to combat the myriad challenges and dangers.
The UAE, its leadership, and its people will not hesitate to support international partnerships with the United States and all countries seeking global prosperity.
UAE-US joint statement
JEDDAH: President Joseph R. Biden Jr. met on Saturday with President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in a bilateral meeting during the Summit of the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan.
President Biden offered his personal condolences to President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and all Emiratis on the loss of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. President Sheikh Mohamed thanked President Biden and the American people for their expressions of sympathy and for the visit of Vice President Kamala Harris and her delegation to Abu Dhabi in May.
President Biden offered his congratulations to President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed on his recent election as UAE President and conveyed an invitation for him to visit the United States later this year. The two leaders discussed a range of regional and global opportunities and challenges, which require close coordination between the United States and the United Arab Emirates as strategic partners.
In the realm of regional diplomacy, President Biden expressed appreciation for President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s personal leadership in breaking down barriers and forging diplomatic relations with Israel, as well as deepening cooperation with other countries in the region. The leaders discussed the US role in helping to forge new economic, trade, and people-to-people relations among Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, as well as in deepening the ties among these states and Egypt and Jordan through new frameworks of cooperation.
Security cooperation
In the defence realm, the two leaders affirmed their commitment to deepening the extensive security cooperation that has made both countries safer and been a major contributor to regional peace and stability. President Biden noted that the UAE is the only country in the Middle East to have deployed its military forces alongside the US military in every international security coalition involving the United States since Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990-1991. The two leaders acknowledged the close and decades-long cooperation in their nations’ shared mission to counter terrorism and violent extremism.
President Biden recommitted to supporting the defence of the UAE against terrorist and other hostile acts such as the attacks targeting civilian sites in the UAE in January 2022. President Biden emphasised the centrality of the UAE as a strategic partner, and as a critical part of the security partnership among the states of the GCC, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan. President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed confirmed that the United States is the primary security partner for the UAE, and the two leaders intend to accelerate and intensify discussions to further enhance these historic ties.
The leaders committed to continue the close cooperation that led to a truce in Yemen, now entering its fifteenth week. They expressed their appreciation for the effective work of the GCC, the US Special Envoy, and the United Nations in achieving the truce, and committed their full efforts toward guiding the parties forward in a political process that can realise a lasting settlement to the conflict. President Biden emphasised the threats still emanating from Yemen and elsewhere and the importance of ensuring that the UAE has the best and most effective means to defend its homeland and people.
End conflicts
The leaders committed to continue to use their collective diplomatic standing to de-escalate and end conflicts elsewhere in the region. They discussed the importance of protecting the prospects of a two-state solution and of assuring that the benefits of the Abraham Accords also accrue to Palestinians. The leaders reaffirmed their support for Iraq and welcomed the landmark agreements to connect Iraq’s electricity grid to those of the GCC member states, as well as other projects further integrating Iraq into the greater region.
On economics, commerce, and trade relations, President Biden noted that the UAE is one of the fastest growing US economic partnerships globally, the largest US trading partner in the Middle East, and a significant investor in the US economy. He welcomed the UAE’s economic initiatives throughout the Middle East and beyond, including its recent Free Trade Agreements signed with Israel, India, and Indonesia as well as new investments in Jordan and Egypt.
The leaders tasked their teams with finding areas in which to deepen and expand commercial partnerships, as well as the negotiation of a broader strategic framework agreement between the UAE and the United States. President Biden recognised the UAE’s efforts to strengthen its policies and enforcement mechanisms in the fight against financial crimes and illicit money flows. Both leaders highlighted the extensive and enduring educational, cultural, and health partnerships between the two countries.
Energy security
President Biden welcomed the UAE’s long-time commitment to global energy security as a reliable and responsible supplier and recognised its leading role in advancing climate action, the energy transition, and in developing clean energy technologies. President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed extended President Biden an invitation to attend the COP28 to be convened in the UAE in 2023.
Both leaders noted the important launch of the water and solar energy arrangement between Israel and Jordan with Emirati and American backing and investment as a model for future partnerships in the region. They asked their respective climate envoys, John Kerry and Sultan al-Jaber, to explore new opportunities in the climate and clean energy sphere to drive economic growth and sustainable development. They noted the UAE’s successful Dubai Expo 2020, which showcased the UAE as a convener of global events that promote sustainability, innovation, and dialogue.
President Biden also recognised the importance of the UAE as a force for change, global citizenship, and prosperity. He acknowledged the UAE’s leadership in promoting religious co-existence and challenging religious hatred through such initiatives as the Abrahamic Family House and the Hedayah Center.
He expressed appreciation for the role the UAE has played in delivering thousands of tons of medical supplies to nations around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic and its response to calls for humanitarian assistance during natural disasters and conflicts around the region.
The two leaders also noted the exceptional position of the UAE as a tolerant home to more than 200 nationalities and faiths coexisting in peace and as the most sought-after destination for Arab youth seeking a brighter and more prosperous future.
- WAM
