Zayed was world humanitarian leader: Mohammed

"I have dealt with a number of world leaders for decades, but did not meet one like the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He was humble and philanthropist", His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, told media gathering in Dubai.

He added that "When we talk about Sheikh Zayed, we need more evenings. The best thing could be said about Sheikh Zayed is that he was the humanitarian leader", noting that "President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, his brothers and all of us follow his footsteps to further develop our country and achieve prosperity for our people."

The Vice President referred to the importance of commemorating and celebrating what the UAE founding father Sheikh Zayed liked most - the humanitarian work, on Emirates Humanitarian Work Day.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid was speaking to a number of media-persons and officials after the ceremony held to honour the distinguished federal government employees.

He tackled a number of local, regional and international issues, and answered questions on a number of important national issues as well.

Present were  Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, a number of ministers and officials.

Sheikh Mohammed referred to his initiative on making 19th of Ramadan, a day that coincides with the death anniversary of the late Sheikh Zayed, as "Emirates Humanitarian Work Day".

All institutions and categories of community will observe the commemoration anniversary of Sheikh Zayed, who implanted the seeds of humanitarian work in the UAE.

He added, Emirates Humanitarian Work Day will also mark the honouring of Zayed as Arab leader and world humanitarian leader as well.

The Vice President said that all Emiratis whether men, women were serving the Union, noting that Emirati women have so far exhibited their perseverance. He cited that Emirati women were among the best worldwide in terms of the university education.

He noted that Emiratis in general were getting good education, training and rehabilitation, thanks to the leadership support.

On honouring the distinguished employees, Sheikh Mohammed said, "We are always keen on honouring the outstanding employees, because it is a duty of the leadership to motivate others to follow suit. The honoured from different institutions did not come to the podium accidently, but through strenuous efforts that earned them good recommendation from the committees that oversaw their performance."

The Vice President also talked about the tawteen (Emiratisation), stressing the importance of tawteen, being a priority of the government to provide jobs for Emirati youth. He cited the efforts being exerted by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed in this respect.

"We have excelled in all fields", he continued, noting that "I want Emirati people to continue working harder and looking forward to becoming number one. This is an endeavour Sheikh Khalifa is looking for."

About the coordination among the Gulf Coordination Council for Arab States, Sheikh Mohammed said the coordination since the inception of the GCC in early 1980s has been growing steadily to keep pace with the aspirations of the GCC peoples.

He added that the GCC states are stable, citing the successful leadership. On the Arab Spring, Sheikh Mohammed said, "it is a motivation for us to develop our capacities to deal with the changes with wisdom to ensure security and stability." He noted that media may refer from time to another to existence of different currents among the GCC states, but the reality is that the GCC states are closer more than ever before.

The Vice President wished for the restoration of stability to the Arab countries in the wake of the Arab Spring. "We hope for Arab countries, especially Egypt to restore stability for their significant strategic depth to the Arab region."

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