NEW YORK: His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, held separate meetings in New York with a number of foreign ministers participating in the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81).
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah met with Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic; Dr. Velislava Petrova-Chamova, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria; Chris Fearne, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Malta; Baiba Braže, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia; Kęstutis Budrys, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania; Le Hoai Trung, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Riccardo Paternò Di Montecupo, Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta; and Kalani Kaneko, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
The meetings explored ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and partnerships across various fields, including the economy, trade, investment, food security, advanced technology, culture, education and health, as well as artificial intelligence, renewable energy and climate.
Discussions also addressed a number of issues on the agenda of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, including strengthening multilateral action and cooperation within international organisations to support efforts to achieve international peace and security and sustainable development.
During the meetings, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to building effective partnerships with friendly countries around the world and expanding cooperation and coordination to advance joint action and support international efforts towards peace, stability and development.
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah and the foreign ministers also exchanged views on current regional and international developments and issues of mutual interest.
The meetings also discussed the UAE's preparations to host the 2026 United Nations Water Conference from 8th to 10th December, in partnership with the Republic of Senegal, as well as ways to strengthen international efforts to advance water security and develop sustainable solutions to water-related challenges.
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah also chaired a trilateral meeting with Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, and Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, within the framework of the UAE-France-India trilateral cooperation initiative.
The meeting discussed a number of issues of mutual interest related to advancing cooperation across sectors that serve the development priorities of the three countries. The ministers also exchanged views on regional and international developments and issues on the agenda of the UN General Assembly.
The meetings were attended by Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade; Lana Nusseibeh, Minister of State; and Saeed Al Hajeri, Minister of State.