King Salman, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi meet in Riyadh - ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive
King Salman, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi meet in Riyadh
by Fahd Al-Zayabi | Feb 17, 2015 | Middle East |
Saudi Arabia's King Salman Bin Abdulaziz (R) greets Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 16, 2015. (Bandar Al-Jelaud)
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, held talks with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, at the Royal Palace in Riyadh on Monday, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The two leaders discussed ways of boosting bilateral cooperation as well as regional and international developments, according to reports.
The meeting was attended by Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Crown Prince, Muqrin Bin Abdulaziz; Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Prince Mohammed Bin Naif; and Minister of Defense and President of the Royal Court and Special Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, among other senior officials.
The Emirati delegation included the Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum; National Security Adviser and Vice President of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, among other officials.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed arrived in Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Monday, where he was received by King Salman as the national anthems of the two countries were played.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Abu Dhabi Mohamed Al-Bishr said: “Saudi–Emirati ties cannot be diplomatically defined or described as being firm, well-established and exceptional; they are much deeper [than that] and extend for a long time.”
“The peoples of the two countries lived together in great cohesion and there is a social overlap between the families and tribes of Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” he added.
According to the ambassador, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed’s visit coincides with major events taking place in the region that require concerted efforts and coordination between the two sides.
Both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are members of the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The Saudi and Emirati leaderships “managed to protect their countries in the light of the tragedies and instability witnessed by several regional countries and the emergence of takfirist currents . . . that have no relation to Islam,” the ambassador said.
“Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are working to fight terrorism and spread peace and cooperation in different fields, and on regional and international levels, and their efforts to limit the spread of the phenomenon of extremism . . . came to fruition.”
Fahd Al-Zayabi