MUTUAL GOALS: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended the UAE-Saudi retreat on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Abu Dhabi - The retreat is the first step emanating from the Saudi-UAE Coordination Council, set up last May in Jeddah.
Published: Tue 21 Feb 2017, 11:00 PM
Last updated: Wed 22 Feb 2017, 11:32 AM
A joint retreat between the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia kicked off on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi where over 150 government officials and a number of experts in the public and private sectors met to discuss the critical issues of the day.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended the retreat that took place on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi along with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, among other ministers and delegates. The retreat discussed three sectors and 10 directions for UAE-Saudi coordination; detailed projects and initiatives will be announced in Riyadh over the coming period.
The retreat is an initiative aimed at strengthening UAE-Saudi relations. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said that unifying efforts can create historic opportunities for both peoples and the region as a whole. He noted that the retreat aims to translate UAE-Saudi agreements into action.
"The strength of our countries and happiness of our peoples is a mutual goal and objective of both leaderships. Joint efforts can create historic opportunities for both peoples and create an example for the whole region," Sheikh Mohammed tweeted. "The circumstances are on our side and we have the political support and the huge desire of our peoples to establish a new example of an Arab cooperation between Saudi Arabia and UAE."
Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed said both nations had a combined GDP of $1 trillion, which is the biggest in the Middle East, and their exports rank fourth worldwide, at $713 billion.
The retreat is the first step emanating from the Saudi-UAE Coordination Council, set up last May in Jeddah, by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
The meeting was held to discuss fields of mutual interest and place general framework and plans for the council built to reflect bilateral cooperation between both countries and develop a new system of cooperation.
The council is co-chaired by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, along with a number of ministers and officials.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid expressed his confidence on the youth leadership managing the cooperation and integration of both nations, praising Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed and Mohammed bin Salman and their teams and efforts.
The retreat is to activate the tasks of the Council, establishing it as a model for cooperation and integration between nations, which reflects the two countries' determination to consolidate fraternal relations through cooperation in a wide range of fields to achieve common interests.
Shaikh Mansoor said while the relations between both nations are already strong, the aim is to move it a new exceptional level.
The retreat will take place in two stages, in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com
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