Abdullah bin Zayed, Russian counterpart discuss bilateral relations, regional developments

posted on 30/05/2015

MOSCOW: H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the UAE, and Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia, met last night in Moscow to discuss various avenues of cooperation between their two countries and ways of promoting and expanding this cooperation, in the light of their close ties of friendship and shared interests that their leaders seek to consolidate and promote.

The two sides exchanged views and ideas on the overall regional and international developments and current events, as well as on the positions of their countries on fighting terrorism, in all its forms, manifestations and organisations. They emphasised the importance of preserving international peace and security and protecting the stability and peace of the region.

In a joint press conference with Mr Lavrov at the conclusion of the meeting, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed stressed that the UAE is working on promoting cooperation with Russia for a better future in their relations in the political, economic, investment, trade and energy domains, among others.

The Russian foreign minister welcomed Sheikh Abdullah's visit and expressed his delight at meeting him again to discuss bilateral cooperation in various fields of interest for their two countries.

Sheikh Abdullah said, "Extremism was a main topic in my talks today with my colleague, the Russian foreign minister. As such, it may be an ideological issue, but today we see its consequences on peoples, states and the future of the region. That is why it is important that the proposed cure for extremism should not be confined to the security aspect. Rather, it should also be inclusive of the ideological and political aspects as well as the diverse social and economic challenges facing peoples."

"That is also why bringing to an end the Israeli occupation of Arab territories captured in 1967 and creating a Palestinian state are essential, not only from a legal perspective but also in terms of countering the spread of extremism in the region."

Sheikh Abdullah added, "We look at our relationship with Russia with a great deal of interest, respect and pride regarding the military, political, economic and cultural domains that my colleague Mr Lavrov mentioned here. We are very proud of promoting this relationship between our two countries and look forward to doubling our efforts, and the outcome too."

H.H. the UAE foreign minister said that he looks forward to meeting Denis Manturov, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade and co-chair of the Russian-UAE Intergovernmental Commission "which has made good efforts to enhance the Russian-UAE relations. However we hope to double this in the future."

Mr Lavrov said that he and Sheikh Abdullah had discussed the most important issues of the Middle East. He called for solutions to these issues based on enhanced all-inclusive national dialogue in the respective states between all political, ethnic and religious powers.

"We discussed the situations in Yemen, Syria, Libya and Iraq and we are confident that, along with the joint efforts being made to find solutions to all these conflicts, we also must intensify our joint efforts to counter the danger of terrorism and extremism in the Middle East," said Mr Lavrov.

He added, "We believe that the activities of Daesh (ISIL) and other terrorist organisations pose serious challenges to peace and security in the Middle East and North Africa. Russia and the UAE will enhance their efforts to fight terrorism, not only in the framework of their bilateral relations, but also at international circles."

We exchanged our views on the Iranian nuclear issue. We are close to a final solution to this issue and hope that the positive outcome of our joint efforts will contribute to driving cooperation on security and stability in the Arabian Gulf. We also have a common position on pulling the Middle East peace process out of its current deadlock. A Palestinian state must be created to preserve the security of all the states of the region. For our part, we support the Arab efforts for peace.

We also exchanged views on our bilateral relations and are satisfied with their development in all spheres, including the dialogue on trade, investment and military and technical cooperation."

Lavrov said that cooperation between Russia and the UAE will be discussed during a meeting between H.H. Sheikh Abdullah and Minister Manturov. "We held our talks in a positive atmosphere, which makes us more determined to further our cooperation in all spheres."

Later, the Russian foreign minister hosted a dinner banquet in honour of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and his delegation.

The meeting and the banquet were attended by Major General Faris Al Mazrouei, Assistant Foreign Minister for Military and Security Affairs, Ahmed Al Jarman, Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, and Omar Ghobash, Ambassador of the UAE to Russia. – Emirates News Agency, WAM -