His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai penned a heartfelt letter to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the armed forces, in the beginning of 2018. The letter was entitled: Thanks Mohamed bin Zayed. He wrote that “Only a few know that he works 18 hours a day for the UAE. Only a few people know that his annual holiday is less than a week. Only a few people know that millions of children around the world benefit from his goodness and giving that he provides quietly. Only a few people see him watching at night with our soldiers, and reviewing development plans in the day with experts and officials to guarantee the future of our country.”
These words reflect the truth. His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is tirelessly working for the UAE and its people’s interests.
The political and national activities of His Highness the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi during the Eid holiday motivated me to write these lines. Most of us enjoyed this holiday and the opening ceremony of the World Cup and allocated time for its matches. But leaders bear the responsibility of the people and have other ways of thinking and plans of action. This must be highlighted so that we all know the responsibilities placed on our leadership.
On the national level, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan made visits to offer condolences to the martyrs. The UAE servicemen died while performing their duties as part of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition in Yemen. His Highness visited the condolences tents in Al Ain, Ras al-Khaimah and Dibba Al Fujairah. “The sacrifices of our martyrs and their acts of bravery for their families and country mirror the noble values inherited by Emiratis from their forefathers and reflect their loyalty and belonging to their homeland,” Sheikh Mohamed said.
The UAE appreciates the martyrs’ sacrifice and their loyalty. The Emirati leadership stressed the unity of ranks. It steadfastly continues its national mission to defend values and principles. Abu Dhabi aims to free Yemen from the Iranian-backed coup militias that control the capabilities of the State and obstruct normal life in this country.
On the first day of Eid al-Fitr, our wise leadership did not enjoy its holiday. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan paid a very important official visit to Ethiopia. The visit was strategically important to the UAE-Ethiopia relations. Ethiopia has a growing prestige in the equations of regional powers in eastern Africa and in the whole continent. The UAE’s investment in Africa reached about $11 billion in 2016.
The UAE wants to gain time and strengthen its role regionally and internationally through active diplomatic moves on various axes and in all directions. Ethiopia has a new leadership. Last May, The Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s PM, visited the UAE. Obviously, there was a growing cooperation between the two countries to enhance vital relations in many levels and fields. The leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan attached great importance to strengthening economic relations with the Republic of Ethiopia. The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi highlighted the attractive investment environment and the great economic development in Ethiopia. He also expressed his confidence that the coming period will witness significant qualitative changes in the UAE-Ethiopian relations in all fields. There are important cooperation agreements between the two countries covering the economic, trade, cultural, developmental and other aspects. His Highness Khalifa bin Zayed stressed that economic and trade relations are developing between the two countries with the potentials of furthering cooperation in the coming years.
A two-day official visit to Ethiopia came in parallel and with full follow-up to the heroic activities of UAE armed forces in the liberation of the Yemeni city of Hodeidah. These tournaments will be remembered with pride and honour. The brave sons of the UAE were on time to continue their efforts to free the Yemeni soil from the Iranian coups within Eid days. Nothing distracted them from performing their heroic national role to help the Yemeni people get rid of this nightmare.
The UAE and its wise leadership are on a historic mission. Abu Dhabi is aware of regional and international challenges. The Emirati leadership is doing what it can to achieve security, stability and development work. The Emirati people are ranking behind their leadership to achieve a better future.
