Diversity seen at Dubai Mall is a depiction of UAE's tolerance: EU Ambassador

Abu Dhabi - Fondi, the former Italian Ambassador to Amman, added, "The UAE is a country to whom Europe is very attached in that we share a lot of values."

The UAE's emphasis on ensuring stability in the Middle East and North Africa, MENA, region is "very important" and "really needed", according to the EU Ambassador to the UAE, who also praised the country's tolerance endeavours, saying diversity of people and cultures at Dubai Mall depicts the bigger picture of the UAE's tolerance model.
"UAE's keenness on stability is very important and really needed in the region, which has been under pressure in these last years, " Patrizio Fondi told the Emirates News Agency, WAM, in an exclusive interview at the 'Sheikh Zayed and Europe: a Journey' exhibition held at The Founder's Memorial in Abu Dhabi.
Fondi, the former Italian Ambassador to Amman, added, "The UAE is a country to whom Europe is very attached in that we share a lot of values."
He went on to say that the UAE is the only Arab country in the region granted the Schengen visa waiver. "The Emirati people could go without any problem to Europe without visa," Fondi enthused.
He hailed the UAE's tolerance and coexistence model in promoting peace and stability in the region, giving an example of the diverse population seen at Dubai Mall as a depiction of the tolerance observed in the country as a whole.
"At Dubai Mall, you go through this great experience of seeing people from all over the world with their (different) clothes, habits, and languages. You see them all together without any problem, respecting each other," he said. "I think this is a good model (of tolerance) for all over the world."
The 'Sheikh Zayed and Europe: a Journey' exhibition is being held under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the United Arab Emirates from November 25 until December 31, 2018.
The exhibition showcases rare photographs and footage of Sheikh Zayed's trips to Europe, and some of his European-made items, and other artefacts related to the cultural and historical exchange between the UAE and Europe, some of which were never displayed before.
"This exhibition is very important to us because of the celebrations of the friendship between the UAE and EU," the Ambassador said, adding that Sheikh Zayed was a key to the consolidation of this friendship. "And now we are continuing this friendship with the current leadership of the UAE," he went on to say.
"I think it is very important for us to underline the great work that Sheikh Zayed did in his life, especially about humanity, tolerance and having respect for all human beings," Fondi, who was appointed Ambassador of the EU to the UAE in 2016, said.
"I think this exhibition is just giving the human point of view of Sheikh Zayed and his political endeavours," adding that the exhibition is "something we care about a lot, and as an Ambassador of the European Union I feel very privileged to celebrate this great man in the Year of Zayed."
Fondi also spoke about the possibility of holding the exhibition in Europe, saying, "I think it would be a great endeavour," adding that the EU would be "ready" to cooperate with the UAE authorities if they were interested.
"We would be really happy if people in Europe could have a look to these objects, audios, videos and photos, because this (collection of) memorabilia is a really exceptional experience that we've been researching for a year," he said.
The EU Ambassador concluded, "This exhibition is being held at The Founder's Memorial and we are the first exhibitor; this is an exceptional privilege that we appreciate UAE authorities for giving it to us. It will be an event to be remembered throughout the years."

• Abu Dhabi