UAE looks at broadening ties with US during Sheikh Abdullah visit

How to broaden the strong partnership between the US and the UAE was top of the agenda as Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Cooperation in the fields of security, climate, trade exchange and investment was also discussed during the meeting in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.

The two sides also highlighted their joint commitment to combating extremism and confronting the threats facing the two sides in the Middle East region, and continuing to work to promote the Abraham Accords.

The two senior officials also reviewed the continuous efforts to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance to those affected by the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria.

Sheikh Abdullah reiterated the UAE's commitment to addressing the effects of climate change, as well as cooperation on initiatives aimed at a smooth transition to renewable energy, and increasing investments in climate-adapted agriculture and food systems.

He pointed to the $100 billion “Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy” (PACE) initiative launched by the UAE and the US in November last year, in addition to deploying 100 new gigawatts (GW) of clean energy in the US, UAE and emerging economies around the world by 2035.

Sheikh Abdullah referred to the UAE's hosting of the 28th COP28 in November this year, and stated that climate change has and will have a great impact on the UAE and that the country is going through a major energy transition.

"We understand the urgent need for ambitious action with the US and other partners to address climate change and facilitate a smooth transition to a near-carbon-neutral world in the future," he added.

The UAE minister also held meetings with high-level members of the Senate with the aim of strengthening economic relations between the two countries, as well as promoting investments and trade exchange.

The UAE is the largest market for US exports in the Middle East. The volume of trade exchange between the two countries in 2022 amounted to $27.8 billion, as the volume of UAE exports to the US exceeded $6.9 billion, an increase of 16 per cent over the volume of the country's exports in the previous year.