UAE looks to boost ties with Egypt: Abdullah

The UAE looks forward to strengthening the deep-rooted fraternal relations and cooperation with Egypt in the future, Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on Tuesday.

“We are keenly interested in bolstering these fraternal and historical relations in the coming period on political, economic and investment levels,” Shaikh Abdullah said. “The bilateral relations between the UAE and Egypt thrive on solid ground, and there is a genuine desire to develop them for the benefit of the two countries and their peoples,” he added.

Shaikh Abdullah further said that he was optimistic that the presidency of Mohammed Mursi would witness concrete achievements in the sphere of bilateral relations and important phases in the various avenues.

He praised President Mursi’s speech at the University of Cairo which, he said, “contained the solid principles of Egypt’s foreign policy and expressed in particular Egypt’s clear commitment to the pan-Arab national security and its dedication to activate joint Arab action”.

He added that “Egypt’s strong, balanced and effective role will reflect positively on the Arab world to become more influential on the global stage and prevent any regional interventions in the Arab affairs.”

The minister also praised the indications by Mursi that Egypt will not interfere in the internal affairs of others nor will it export the revolution.

“This approach truly belongs to a capable statesman and to Egypt, a country which all Arabs want to see stable and prosperous,” he said, adding that the vitality of the Egyptian role at this particular juncture in the history of the Arab world and the challenges it currently faces represents a strategic demand that strengthens the role the Arab nation plays,” Shaikh Abdullah said.

The UAE foreign minister concluded his statement looking forward to cooperating with the new Egyptian government in every way that will strengthen the established bilateral relations between the two countries. He also expressed his best wishes of further development and prosperity on all levels for Egypt and of security, prosperity and progress for the people of Egypt. —