UAE-UK partnership for the future

Shaikh Mohammad’s UK visit cements new partnership between the two nations

The UAE and the UK have been friends and partners for close to five decades. The ties between our homeland and the UK are strong, enduring and close — as underscored by the tens of thousands of British expats who now call the UAE home, and the many thousands of UAE citizens who live, study, visit and relish the cultural and sporting affiliations between the two nations.

On Thursday, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, carried out an official visit to the UK to launch a new era in ties between the two countries, taking the very special and friendly relations between the two nations to an even higher level. Boris Johnson hosted Shaikh Mohammad at 10 Downing for a wide-ranging discussion and the launch of a new “Partnership for the Future”. As Shaikh Mohammad noted, “One of the most important aspects of our developmental projects for the next 50 years is promoting developmental partnerships with various countries of the world, especially with the UK.”

Driven by a common vision

The new “Partnership for the Future” is based on a common vision that will drive sustainable profitability and address global issues from a multilateral perspective. Indeed, with the UAE joining the UN Security Council where the UK is a permanent member with veto powers, this new era of close cooperation bodes well for the strategic and critical work carried out at the highest echelon of international relations. Indeed, the prime minister praised the UAE for its critical role in assisting international partners and the people of Afghanistan in the days following the takeover there by the Taliban. Historically, Britain has played a long and strategic role in the Gulf and this new partnership will enhance trade, investment and innovation.

There are many areas of mutual concern between the UAE and UK, and the new partnership sets out how both will work together to improve commercial, strategic, environmental and broader ties. As a result of Shaikh Mohammad’s visit, both governments have pledged to work together in life sciences, energy, education, security, development, culture and food security. With world leaders gathering in Glasgow in six weeks for COP26, Shaikh Mohammad and Johnson have agreed that meaningful action on climate change is need of the hour.