UAE leaders pay tribute to sacrifices of our heroes
Honouring the sacrifices made by members of the Armed Forces and the crucial role the military plays in defending the sovereignty and stability of the UAE and the wider region were highlighted in messages from the country’s leaders for Commemoration Day.
The President, Sheikh Khalifa, said the occasion, which is observed today, was “a day to treasure the values of sacrifice, dedication and loyalty to the homeland”.
“The nation, both leadership and people, will never forget our servicemen who offered their dear lives and blood on the battlegrounds of justice, right, duty and pride in defence of the Union, safeguarding its sovereignty and preserving its achievements.”
Sheikh Khalifa also promised the ultimate sacrifice paid by the military and civilians would be held “as role models for love and defence of the nation. Their families and children will receive the highest care and assistance from the state”.
“We call on the citizens of the UAE to keep the noble values of sacrifice as a living, enduring role model in their life, to respect and value duty, to be determined in upgrading their capabilities and skills, and to excel in performing their work, as great nations are built by science, creativity, achievement, leadership, determination, sincere dedication, and ultimate sacrifices,” he said.
“There is no life without dignity, and there is no dignity without sacrifices.” Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said the country would “remain forever indebted to those who have responded to the call to pay the ultimate sacrifice in defence of the homeland, their sanctities and national gains”.
Commemoration Day, Sheikh Mohammed said, was a reminder of “the establishment of our Union to echo the values of patriotism and belonging that our dignified martyrs embodied, in defending the dignity and preserve the glory of their homeland”.
It was, he said, “a day that inculcates the values of righteousness and justice, and the principles of opposition to oppression that our martyrs steadfastly upheld”.
Those principles still held as true today, Sheikh Mohammed said.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, said the security of the country was bound closely to the willingness of its people to defend it.
“The nations that make sacrifices to preserve their dignity and to honour their humanitarian and moral responsibilities are the powerful countries capable of safeguarding their gains, defending their sovereignty and advancing with confidence and strength along the path of progress and development,” he said.
Those values extended beyond the UAE borders in defending the rights of other peoples, Sheikh Mohamed said.
“I salute my sons who stand in their positions in brotherly Yemen in defence of the Yemeni people’s right to stability and development, away from sectarian and religious conflict,” he said.
“I say to them: All of the UAE is with you, proud of you and your heroism.
“You are carrying out a national and moral mission, through which you are safeguarding the interests of the nation and defending Arab national security against the tyrannical forces that do not want our region or peoples to have development or peace.
“Every day, we are reassured that the historical position taken by the UAE to engage in the Arab Alliance to restore legitimacy in Yemen under the leadership of the sister kingdom of Saudi Arabia is correct.”