With the aim of putting the national passport on the list of the world’s most powerful passports by 2021, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has launched the UAE Passport Power initiative under the directives of Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, HHS Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It seemed like a long shot for some, but the purpose of this well-studied strategic plan was not only to put Emirati passport in the power list, but to make it number one.
The goal is not far-fetched after all. Last September, the UAE passport reached the ninth position globally but by the end of October, it went up to fourth despite the strong competition.
The UAE passport jumped from 8th to 9th place within a month from August to September of 2018. The jump was of record speed. Just in August 2016, only 91 countries granted UAE passport holders visa-free entry. In the Arab world, it stands in no contest and this tells how much trust other countries have in the UAE.
The blue passport is expected to move up to the second place by the end of this month, as two more countries would join the visa-free list. By then, the UAE passport would be equally powerful to that of the United States, Denmark, France, the Netherlands or Norway.
Good diplomacy, pursued since HHS Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan took over, had a tremendous impact on the performance of the UAE in recent years. And you can tell that the dynamicity of diplomatic work was somewhat a reflection of the personality of the young minister who assumed the role under unprecedented circumstances for Gulf and Arab national security.
Foreign affairs are affected by the performance, efficiency and skill of ministers. The hard times in the Arab region called for a different type of diplomatic action, based on initiative, finding solutions and alternatives in order to safeguard the interests of the UAE, the GCC and Arab nations. Sh. Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan doubled down during the height of the unrest engulfing major Arab countries such as Egypt. His Highness played a major role in maintaining the minimum level of Arab national security at a time when everyone felt the collapse of security and chaos throughout the Arab sphere.
His Highness’s earned the respect and appreciation of the world for the UAE’s diplomatic performance. The Passport Power was just one accomplishment.
