US President Joe Biden recognized the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a major defense partner of the United States on Monday after talks with its President on topics that included the war in Gaza and growing Middle East instability.
The US designation allows for close military cooperation through joint training, exercises and other collaborative efforts. India is the only other country to have been designated as such.
Biden and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan called for “urgent, unhindered” humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza and shared their commitment to a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in a statement after their meeting.
At the start of the meeting, Biden said he had been briefed on the latest developments between Israel and Lebanon.
Their joint statement touched on the Gulf state’s involvement in the Sudan conflict, with both stressing that there was no military solution to the war, which has triggered the world’s largest displacement crisis.
They also underscored plans to deepen cooperation on space exploration, clean energy and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
For his part, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke of the ‘power of partnerships’ during the talks. He reaffirmed the UAE’s unwavering commitment to its US partnership and hailed the power of building bridges with nations that share the same values and ambitions for a brighter future, UAE national news agency WAM reported.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and President Biden discussed the depth of the strategic relationship between the UAE and the US and their joint determination to further strengthen these bonds.
The two leaders reviewed various aspects of the longstanding bilateral ties, particularly in the fields of trade and investment, the economy, advanced technology, space, renewable energy, climate action, sustainability and food security. They expressed their keenness to expand collaboration in these areas to help advance both countries’ shared ambitions for global prosperity and stability.
To illustrate how relations between the two countries have flourished, His Highness recalled a 1974 meeting between the UAE’s Founding Father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and a team from NASA who gave a briefing on the Apollo programme. Fifty years later, he explained, the UAE is now partnering with NASA in the development of the Gateway mission, humanity’s first space station around the moon.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed further affirmed that the UAE and the United States share a solid friendship and a strong strategic alliance built on firm foundations of mutual trust, respect, and shared interests. He added that this alliance is grounded in a long history of cooperation across political, economic, and other fields.
The UAE and US Presidents also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest, especially developments in the Middle East and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They addressed efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire to ensure the unobstructed flow of sufficient humanitarian aid and to contain any escalation that threatens regional security and stability.
In this context, His Highness praised President Joe Biden’s initiative and the joint mediation efforts of the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to achieve a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and the release of prisoners and detainees from both the Palestinian and Israeli sides. His Highness underscored the importance of continuing these efforts as a first step on the path towards resuming the political process to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, ensuring security and stability for people across the region.
His Highness emphasised the UAE’s commitment to deepening cooperation with the US with regard to their shared vision of promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East and beyond, while building a strong international partnership to address global challenges. This aligns with the UAE’s longstanding approach of supporting regional and global stability, peace, and development through collective international efforts.
The meeting was attended by H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser; H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Khaldoun Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority; and Yousef Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States of America in Washington.
