Mohamed bin Zayed, Austrian Chancellor deliberate strengthening bilateral relations

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the Chancellor of Austria, Carl Nehmer, have deliberated the prospects of further strengthening bilateral relations in light of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

This came as His Highness Sheikh Mohamed today welcomed at Al Shate’ Palace the Austrian leader, who is on a working visit to the UAE.

At the beginning of the meeting, His Highness renewed his congratulations to Nehmer for taking oath as Austria’s Federal Chancellor, wishing him success in serving his country and people. He also wished Austria continued progress, growth and stability.

His Highness also expressed his thanks to Nehmer for Austria’s position condemning the Houthi terrorist attacks on civil facilities and sites in the UAE.

The two sides exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of common concern, foremost of which is the development of the Ukraine crisis and its impact on global security and peace. They underlined the need to find a peaceful settlement for the crisis through dialogue, negotiation and diplomatic solutions, and stressed the importance of providing humanitarian support to the affected civilians to ensure their protection and assistance.

In this context, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed stressed that the UAE, through its presidency of the UN Security Council during March, is doing everything in its power to encourage peaceful solutions to the Ukraine crisis, and to cooperate with all parties concerned to promote international peace.

During the meeting, His Highness noted the close relations between the UAE and Austria and the steady growth in cooperation witnessed over the past years. He pointed out that the UAE is keen to advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations in various fields, particularly in areas of economy, technology, energy, education and other domains in line with the priorities set by their leadership to achieve the aspirations of their peoples for development and prosperity.

For his part, the Austrian Chancellor thanked His Highness Sheikh Mohamed for the warm reception and hospitality, stressing Austria’s keenness to strengthen its relations with the UAE at all levels, with the objective of supporting security and stability in the region and the entire world.

The meeting was attended by HH.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, and Hamad Al Kaabi, the UAE ambassador to Austria, along with the delegation accompanying the Austrian chancellor.

During the meeting, the Austrian Chancellor also awarded Mohammed Abdullah Al Junaibi, Chairman of the Federal Protocol and Strategic Narrative Authority (FPSN), the ‘Great Decoration of Honor’ in appreciation of the close and effective cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Austria in various fields, including the Special Olympics activities.

Expressing his thanks to the Austrian Chancellor for granting him this medal, Al Junaibi said that the distinguished relations between the two countries resulted in several successes especially with regards to supporting people of determination, noting that he was part of the team that made tireless efforts to make this file a success under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.

He emphasised the keenness of Sheikh Mohamed to support and empower the people of determination, being an integral part of the Emirati society, and enable them to enhance their contributions to various social and sports fields.

WAM