Lord Ahmad has travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today
[22 June] on his first visit to the country as Minister of State
for the Middle East.
The Minister will meet His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, to build upon the
recent UK-UAE Strategic Dialogue
in London last month, engage on shared priorities ahead of
COP28, and to discuss cooperation on shared regional security
issues including Iran and Syria.
Lord Ahmad will also visit the Abrahamic Family House, an
interfaith complex in Abu Dhabi which houses the St Francis
Church, Imam Al-Tayeb Mosque and Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue, as
part of his longstanding work on freedom of religion and belief.
Minister of State for the Middle East Lord Ahmad said:
I am delighted to be in the UAE – my first visit to the country
as Minister of state for the Middle East – to strengthen the UK
and UAE’s partnership.
I look forward to meeting with His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin
Zayed Al Nahyan to build upon our shared priorities, including
the recent inaugural UK-UAE Strategic Dialogue, the ambitious
Partnership of the Future, COP28 and regional issues.
The UAE has a crucial role to play on the world stage – including
as a key partner for the UK through its membership of the UN
Security Council and as hosts of COP28 later this year. It is
vital that we continue to build momentum and strengthen
collaboration in important areas including education, climate and
development, life sciences and tackling illicit finance.
I also look forward to visiting the Abrahamic Family House in Abu
Dhabi. The interfaith complex, which houses the Imam Al-Tayeb
Mosque, St Francis Church and Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue, is a
reminder that we must never be complacent on protecting freedom
of religion and belief.
Background
- The Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon MP, hosted His Highness
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign
Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab
Emirates, for the inaugural UK-UAE Strategic
Dialogue in London on 15 May 2023
- Ahead of the meeting of foreign ministers, Lord Ahmad and His
Excellency Dr Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE
President, also met to discuss the progress made towards the
Partnership for the Future
