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ABU DHABI – Combining the capabilities and potential of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia can create tremendous historic opportunities for their people and the whole region, said Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
He was addressing a joint Saudi-UAE retreat called ‘the Retreat of Resolve” held on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to discuss the best ways to advance relations between the two countries to a new and exceptional level.
The retreat, which brought together more than 150 ministers, senior officials and experts from the two countries, was an initiative of the Saudi-UAE Coordination Council. The retreat was held following the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and President of UAE Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to enhance historic relations between the two countries and draw a roadmap to develop them in the long run.
The Saudi-UAE Coordination Council is co-chaired by Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, and Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE’s deputy prime minister and minister of presidential affairs.
“As the retreat is co-chaired by Sheikh Mansour and Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, we trust our young leaders to realize more achievements,” said Sheikh Mohammad. “Through our integration, collaboration and unity, we consolidate our achievements, strengthen our economies and build a better future for our peoples. I am optimistic about young leaders who spearhead the march of integration of both nations.”
Sheikh Mohammed emphasized that the retreat seeks to turn agreements and understandings into tangible field projects that will benefit the people of the two countries and achieve a new level of exceptional relations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The council aims to bolster the deep historical relations between the two countries, and create a road map to take the cooperation between the two sides to higher levels, Sheikh Mohammad said.
Addressing the meeting, Sheikh Mansour said: “Saudi-Emirati relations are strong and the leaderships in both countries seek to take them into a new phase of integration to become a model for how GCC relations should be.” He added that Sheikh Mohammad and Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, have already issued instructions to the UAE team to accelerate cooperation with Saudi Arabia in all levels. “The UAE and Saudi Arabia have the largest economies in the Arab region, and we have the most sophisticated armed forces. We constitute a cohesive social fabric, and have leaders who aspire for more cooperation towards total integration.” The total GDP of Saudi Arabia and UAE is valued at $1 trillion, and their exports of $713 billion make them the fourth largest globally. The two countries are ranked as the largest economies in the Middle East and both countries play a key role in shaping regional politics.
Earlier, Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning Adel Fakieh and Mohammed Al-Gergawi, minister of Cabinet and the future of UAE affairs, jointly welcomed the gathering. “Our goal is to create a platform for consultation and co-ordination between our work teams. The agenda of the retreat includes three strategic pillars covering economy; knowledge and human resources; as well as political, military and security aspects,” Al-Gergawi said.
Apart from government officials, representatives of the private sector formed 10 task teams to discuss 10 topics. Another 10 topics will be discussed in a second retreat to be held shortly in Riyadh. Co-chaired by ministers and senior officials from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the separate sessions of the retreat discussed innovative solutions to maximize benefits from current resources, and build an effective and integral education system to prepare qualified national human resources. Concluding the retreat, Al-Gergawi and Fakieh stressed that working teams and groups would be formed to co-ordinate between various sectors to implement the proposed initiatives.
