Brussels: Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, met on Wednesday with Didier Reynders, Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs. The meeting, held in Brussels, dealt with means of boosting bilateral relations between the UAE and Belgium, during which Shaikh Abdullah and the Deputy Prime Minister discussed a number of issues of mutual concern and exchanged views on current developments at regional and international levels.
Shaikh Abdullah hailed the UAE’s and Belgium’s excellent decades-long relationship, as Belgium was one of the first countries to recognise the UAE, and voted in favour of the nation to become a member state of the UN.
Reynders commended the two countries’ strong historical ties, and praised the UAE’s growth and cultural renaissance.
Following the meeting, Shaikh Abdullah and Reynders held a joint press conference, at which Reynders spoke on issues of mutual interest as well as the international community’s efforts to combat terrorism, noting that their discussions covered the situation in Libya, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as opportunities for both countries to work together towards finding solutions for ongoing conflicts in the region.
Reynders expressed Belgium’s interest in strengthening ties between the European Union and the Arab Gulf states as part of their efforts to combat terrorism and boost security, in addition to enhancing trade relations.
Shaikh Abdullah expressed his thanks and appreciation to the government and people of Belgium for their hospitality, and asserted the importance of strengthening cooperation in several sectors, including cultural, educational, research and development, and legal fields.
Shaikh Abdullah then met with Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).
During the meeting, Shaikh Abdullah stressed the UAE’s interest in developing cooperation with Nato in various fields to enhance security, regional and international peace and providing better ways for the exchange of technical and defence expertise as well as developing technical training programmes and take advantage of Nato’s expertise in training and information exchange.
The Nato secretary-general said the UAE contributed greatly to maintaining security and peace with Nato.
Later, Shaikh Abdullah met with Jan Jambon, Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Security and Home Affairs.
During the meeting, both parties discussed bilateral relations and ways of enhancing them in addition to a number of issues of mutual interest.
Shaikh Abdullah stressed the importance of bilateral relations between the UAE and Belgium, which he said are witnessing rapid development which reflects the desire of both countries to achieve strategic partnerships in various fields.
