Mohamed bin Zayed state visit to Belarus

WAM – President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, on Friday, received His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, with a red carpet reception upon his arrival at the Palace of Independence in the capital Minsk.

Escorted by President Lukashenko, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed proceeded to the dais where the national anthems of the two nations were played followed by an inspection of the guard of honour and a military parade.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed shook hands with several senior Belarusian officials who welcomed him to the country.

The Belarusian President also shook hands with members of the delegation accompanying H.H. Sheikh Mohamed, which include H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation;H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser; Ali bin Hammad Al Shamis, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council;Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-secretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court; Ahmed Mohamed Al Tunaiji, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Belarus, Lt. General Issa Saif bin Ablan Al Mazrouei, Deputy Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces;Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, and Matar Suhail Al Dhaheri, member of the Federal National Council.

Sheikh Mohamed was also welcomed by Viktor Lukashenko, National Security Advisor to the President of Belarus; Alexander Turchin, First Deputy Prime Minister; Vladimir Makei, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Roman Golovchenko, Chairman of the State Military Industrial Committee of Belarus.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and his host President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, on Friday, held official talks on strengthening bilateral ties.

The two leaders also took stock of the latest regional and global developments of mutual interest and exchanged views on them.

President Lukashenko welcomed His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and his delegation to Belarus and termed the visit as "a new addition" to the record of distinguished bilateral ties between the two countries.

The two sides also explored the prospects and opportunities for greater bilateral cooperation that could serve their mutual interests.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed expressed his thanks and appreciated the warm reception accorded to him and his delegation. He said it reflected the longstanding tradition of the Belarusian people as well as the close friendship between the two countries whose ties have seen significant progress since diplomatic relations were established in 1992.

H.H. Sheikh Mohamed emphasised that the UAE is adopting a foreign policy based on openness, cooperation and partnership at both, regional and international levels, and is keen to build close relations with various countries based on mutual respect and interests and building of bridges of cooperation and interaction between cultures and civilisations. The UAE supports development, peace and stability at the regional and international levels, he added.

Relations with Belarus have gone significantly forward in recent times driven by a common political determination and available opportunities for growth and expansion to serve the mutual interests of the two friendly peoples, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed added.

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed noted that the visit by the Belarusian President to the UAE in 2017 had provided a big boost to bilateral ties and encouraged both sides to expand them further.

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi said that he sensed the sincerity of the Belarusian leadership to further expand the scope of cooperation with the UAE and its appreciation for the UAE’s pioneering development model which is based on civilizational values of peace, coexistence and tolerance.

President Lukashenko expressed his country's desire to bolster and diversify cooperation with the UAE, noting that the ever-growing relations promised further coordination and cooperation.

The visit of Sheikh Mohammed had provided a momentous boost to bilateral ties, he stressed.

At the end of the talks, the two sides affirmed their resolve to diversify their bilateral cooperation under the strong common political will of Emirati and Belarusian leaderships. They also emphasised the need for the international community to maximise its efforts to realise regional and international peace and security, build bridges of communication and cooperation among different peoples and counter the risks including terrorism and extremism that threaten stability, development and co-existence.

President Lukashenko hosted a luncheon banquet in honour of Sheikh Mohamed and his delegation.

Thereafter, the two leaders planted a sapling in the Palace of Independence as a symbolic gesture of the deep ties of friendship between the UAE and Belarus.

The round of talks was attended by H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation;H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser; Ali bin Hammad Al Shamis, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council; Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-secretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court; Ahmed Mohamed Al Tunaiji, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Belarus, Lt. General Issa Saif bin Ablan Al Mazrouei, Deputy Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces; and Matar Suhail Al Dhaheri, member of the Federal National Council.

Present from the Belarusian side were Viktor Lukashenko, National Security Advisor to the President of Belarus; Alexander Turchin, First Deputy Prime Minister; Vladimir Makei, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Roman Golovchenko, Chairman of the State Military Industrial Committee of Belarus.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Friday, laid a wreath at the Memorial of Unknown Soldier in Minsk, as part of his state visit to Belarus. The Minsk Hero City Memorial was built to honor the soldiers killed while defending their country in the Second World War.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was welcomed at the memorial by Anatoly Sivak, Mayor of Minsk, where national anthems of the UAE and Belarus were played.

H.H. was accompanied by H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation; H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser; Ali bin Hammad Al Shamis, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council; Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court; Ahmed Mohamed Al Tunaiji, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Belarus, Lt. General Issa Saif bin Ablan Al Mazrouei, Deputy Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces; Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, and Matar Suhail Al Dhaheri, member of the Federal National Council.