UAE, Senegal pacts enhance relations in several fields
The UAE has become Senegal’s leading trade in the Arab region while Senegal is a key partner of the UAE in West Africa
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Macky Sall, President of Senegal, on Thursday witnessed the signing of several agreements and Memorandums of Understanding, Mous, between several authorities and institutions from the UAE and Senegal.
The agreements aim to enhance the cooperation between the two countries in the areas of government development and modernisation, education, enterprise development and counter-terrorism, and their technical, military and humanitarian cooperation.
The ceremony, which took place in the Al Watan Palace in Abu Dhabi, included an MOU between the ministries of the interior of UAE and Senegal related to combating terrorism, which was signed by H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, and Amadou Ba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Senegal.
The ceremony also included the signing of an agreement between the UAE’S Ministry of
Defence and the Ministry of the Armed Forces of Senegal regarding their technical and military cooperation, signed by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Ba.
An MOU between the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future and the Government of Senegal related to government modernisation and development was then signed by Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future, and Ba.
The ceremony also included the signing of an MOU related to global education by Hussain Bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, and Ba, along with another MOU between the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, and the High Authority of Waqf, HAW, in the Republic of Senegal, which was exchanged by Mohammad Ateeq Al Falahi, Secretary-general of the ERC, and Ba.
Another MOU was signed by the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development and the Government of Senegal to establish the Mohamed Bin Zayed Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, exchanged by Hussein Jassim Al Nowais,
Chairman of the Fund, and Ba.
Earlier, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed held talks with Macky Sall, President of Senegal, who is on an official visit to the UAE.
Their meeting, which was held at the Al Watan Palace in Abu Dhabi, addressed the bilateral ties between the two countries and ways of developing them in all areas, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East and Africa and regional and international topics of mutual concern.
At the start of the meeting, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed welcomed President Sall and his delegation while conveying the greetings of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“The last meeting we had was around a year ago when you honoured us by your presence at the Special Olympics World Games 2019. We were delighted to receive you during that event, as well as today, and we are keen to consult and communicate with you on topics of mutual concern to our countries,” Sheikh Mohamed said.
He added that the bilateral ties between the UAE and Senegal have been strong since 1973 and have witnessed significant overall development, noting that the UAE has become Senegal’s leading trade in the Arab region while Senegal is a key partner of the UAE in West Africa.
He then praised the efforts of the Joint Emirati-senegalese Committee to strengthen the bilateral action between the two countries, highlighting their cooperation in innovation and sustainable development. “This cooperation was demonstrated by the selection of Senegal as the regional headquarters of the Mohamed Bin Zayed Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship established by the UAE,” His Highness Sheikh Mohamed added.
He then pointed out that the UAE aims, in cooperation with the international community, to maintain regional and international security and stability, and is looking forward to witnessing Senegal’s key role in promoting peaceful solutions to the crises witnessed by the region.