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Abu Dhabi / WAM
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, received His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia, who arrived in the country on Wednesday for a two-day state visit.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman was accorded an official reception upon his arrival at Al Watan Palace in the capital, Abu Dhabi.
Just before the arrival of Prince Mohammed’s delegation, Al Fursan, (The Knights), the United Arab Emirates Air Force aerobatic display team, flew over the palace sky, forming the flag of Saudi Arabia. A folklore group also performed folk performances and various heritage songs, and a group of children raised the flag of the two countries to welcome and celebrate the visit.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed accompanied Prince Mohammed to the podium of honour and played the national anthems of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Afterwards, an artillery gun fired 21 rounds to welcome the visit of Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Emirati warplanes escorted the plane carrying the Saudi Crown Prince as he entered the airspace of the UAE, in tribute to him.
Prince Mohammed shook hands with his senior officials, who welcomed his visit to his second homeland, the UAE. His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed also shook hands with ministers and senior officials within the delegation accompanying Prince Mohammed.
UAE-Saudi working together towards a ‘bright future’
The UAE Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, and his Saudi counterpart, Turki Aldakhil, penned a joint opinion piece in which they reaffirmed the determination of both countries to work hand-in-hand towards a “bright future” filled with economic stability and sustainable development.
The two diplomats, who enjoy a strong relationship solidified by a decade-long friendship, even prior to assuming their posts, said in the Op-ed that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are aware of the importance of having a vision for the future, “especially since some 70 percent of our people are in their prime, under the age of 35.” The Op-ed was written on the occasion of the upcoming Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council, which will be held in Abu Dhabi under the chairmanship of the Crown Princes of both countries.
Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan Al Nahyan and Turki Aldakhil said that when leading people, with millennials comprising two-thirds of the population, “one must be aware that this generation is connected with the world, and has technology as part of the making of its mind and formation of its intellect”, which has led Saudi Arabia and the UAE to get involved in pioneering projects that look decades ahead into the future and try to contribute to the building and shaping of the future world.”
They added, “The thinking of the future is clearly demonstrated in the statements of the presidents of the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council; Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who are both thinking seriously, even going beyond thinking and into planning and executing investment projects, which will one day fill the vacuum left after the last barrel of oil is produced, whenever that day will be.”
They further added that this harmonious way of thinking [between the leaderships of the two countries], their forward-thinking minds, and having a clear political, economic and developmental vision, which puts the well-being of citizens at the forefront of their objectives is what stimulates competitiveness in the two countries, pushing them to lead the indicators for effectiveness and achievement at the regional and international levels.
In conclusion, the ambassadors said that the council, which aims to achieve the goals of the two countries and their citizens, and support other brotherly nations and help them promote development in their own countries, “will at the same time not stand by to watch the schemes of chaos, extremist agendas, and plots tarnish the image of our true Islamic religion”, which are a concern, a priority and responsibility of the two countries.
