Dubai- The UAE and Saudi Arabia yesterday reaffirmed their close alliance in the face of “current critical regional situation and the looming risks”, a week after the two countries formed a high-level chaired joint cooperation committee.
“The historic and joint responsibility of the UAE and Saudi Arabia towards regional changes is based on the understanding and synergy that exists between the two countries,” His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, was quoted as saying by WAM during a meeting with Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz in Riyadh yesterday.
Shaikh Mohammad arrived earlier in the Saudi capital, and was received by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included Shaikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser and Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
King Salman and Shaikh Mohammad discussed “the dangerous repercussions of America’s decision to recognise occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” WAM said. They also spoke about continuing efforts to find a just solution to the Palestinian issue, based on relevant international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. The two leaders discussed developments in Yemen, and efforts exerted to thwart the Iran-backed Al Houthi militia and armed terrorist organisations.
Shaikh Mohammad’s visit to Riyadh comes a week after the announcement of a joint cooperation committee with Saudi Arabia, to partner on military, economic, trade and cultural fields. Increased cooperation between the two militarily and economically powerful states is bound to strengthen stability in the region, especially at a time of unceasing Iranian expansionism, analysts say.
Speaking to Gulf News, Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, an Emirati professor of political science, said the visit by such a high-level delegation is an indication that this is a ‘game-changer’ in Gulf politics. “This [committee] involves the biggest economies and armies in the Gulf. It will be the decisive force influencing the region for years to come. This is a serious and integrative process, which will shape the region, and indeed Arab politics as a whole. [What is happening] is very historic.”
Also yesterday, the UAE central bank governor Mubarak Rashid Al Mansouri announced that the bank was working with Saudi Arabia’s central bank to issue a digital currency, based on blockchain technology, that would be accepted in cross-border transactions between the two countries.
