EU mission opens in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - The delegation was officially inaugurated in Abu Dhabi, making it the second office in the region following Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The European Union (EU) and the UAE have a common regional agenda of taking on challenges and making better use of opportunities, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, has said.
Speaking during a reception to mark the official opening of the European Union Delegation to the UAE on Saturday, Mogherini, said: "We work hand in hand on bilateral issues in an excellent manner." The delegation was officially inaugurated in the Capital, making it the second office in the region following Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
"I believe that we have a common regional agenda. As part of our global strategy, we want to work more and more with the UAE, and with the GCC, as there are many challenges in the region, stretching from Libya to Syria, and Yemen. As well as the opportunities in this region, we see room to work and cooperate together in a very firm manner," she said.
Mogherini, who is visiting the UAE for the first time in her new role, said that her visit will begin an intense session of bilateral meetings between the two sides. "I have promised my friends today, that this will open a session of intense and frequent visits from our side and yours. You are always welcome to Brussels to see us, because we really see the need to work together," she said.
In her speech, Mogherini said: "My first official visit in my new capacity is an excellent opportunity to celebrate our friendship. The UAE is a country with whom we work hand in hand on bilateral issues in an excellent manner. It is the only country, not only in the region but the only Arab country that has a visa waiver agreement with the European Union.
"It is also the country with whom we have so much in common in so many areas, from energy and climate change, to infrastructure, trade, economic, culture relations," she noted.

• Abu Dhabi