UAE, France issue joint statement on visit to France of MBZ

Following is the statement: "At the invitation of the French President Emmanuel Macron, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, conducted a visit to Paris on 15th September 2021.

The President of the French Republic and His Highness commended the strong and historic bilateral ties between the two countries since the founding of the UAE in 1971, as well as the Strategic Partnership between them, through which cooperation is carried out across all fields, in order to jointly tackle common global and regional challenges, and explore opportunities to further peace and prosperity.

Both sides underscored their strong commitment to overcome regional challenges, and their shared determination to counter extremism, to fight terrorism and to strengthen their cooperation in the security and defense fields.

With respect to Afghanistan, the President of the French Republic renewed his appreciation for the UAE’s support for evacuation operations and its humanitarian assistance. Both sides also emphasised the need for the respect of the rights of women and girls, minorities, guarantee of a safe return to schools, and the resumption of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Both countries emphasised the significance of the Abraham Accords in promoting a vision of tolerance and coexistence in the region, on the occasion of the one-year Anniversary since the signing on 15th September 2020.

Both sides reaffirmed their support to the reform efforts underway in Iraq and their determination to follow-up on the successful Baghdad conference on Partnership and Cooperation.

The French President and His Highness expressed their shared ambition to make the bilateral partnership deeper, broader, more multilateral, and with increased people to people exchanges. They thus reaffirmed their enduring commitment to the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum. In the field of economy, they welcomed the increasing cooperation between France and the UAE.

They also called for broadening the partnership to new areas. They welcomed the agreement between Institut du Monde Arabe and the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) - Department of Culture and Tourism to cooperate on an Arabic Language certificate. They also agreed to work on ideating the flagship cultural cooperation projects of tomorrow. Both parties identified health as a key area of cooperation, and agreed to explore new partnerships in this field.

As for multilateral aspects, both leaders decided to cooperate closely in the UN Security Council, which the UAE will join in January. They announced their shared support to multilateral health initiatives.

Both parties committed to intensifying people to people exchanges, they welcomed the upcoming opening of the Dubai World Expo on 1st October 2021, and the organisation of France’s National Day on 2nd October 2021.

Both sides also noted the historic nature of the UAE’s upcoming National Day anniversary on 2nd December, which would mark the nation’s Golden Jubilee. They also announced the creation of a French-UAE Business Council, to further stimulate economic exchanges between the two countries.

In conclusion, with the breadth and depth of their partnership, the two leaders expressed their lasting confidence in their ability to jointly tackle the challenges of today, and those of tomorrow."