US vice-president Joe Biden visits the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi - Mutual visits by leaders of the UAE and US has seen a dynamic growth, most recently in May 2015, Shaikh Mohammed met with US President Barack Obama in Washington.
Published: Mon 7 Mar 2016, 4:12 PM
Updated: Tue 8 Mar 2016, 12:29 PM
Stepping on a higher milestone for stronger bilateral relations with the UAE, US Vice-President Joe Biden has made his first official visit to the Capital on Monday as part of his Middle East tour.
The Vice-President visited some of Abu Dhabi's most iconic sites before meeting His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed forces, to discuss critical topics, including concerns on Syria.
Arriving just after midnight at Abu Dhabi's Presidential Airport, Biden, along with his wife Jill Biden, was welcomed by Reem Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Yousef Mani Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States; Barbara Leaf, US Ambassador to the UAE; as well as members of the embassy and senior officials.
This is the second high-profile visit of a top US official to the UAE, after the former US President George W. Bush's visit, before his end of the term in office, back in 2008.
Mutual visits by leaders of the UAE and US has seen a dynamic growth, most recently in May 2015, Shaikh Mohammed met with US President Barack Obama in Washington.
Before the dinner meeting with the Crown Prince, Biden visited Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque on Monday morning, along with the Minister of State, and greeted tourists outside. He also toured the government-backed clean energy campus, Masdar City.
In the meantime, Biden's wife visited the General Women's Union, Chaired by Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak and discovered more about UAE's efforts to promote gender empowerment and the rise of women in leadership. Biden's wife later had a private meeting with Shaikha Fatima.
Later in the afternoon, Biden and his wife visited the US and coalition forces in the UAE, and right before the working dinner with the Crown Prince, Biden participated in a cultural visit.
During the meeting with the Crown Prince, the leaders discussed the full range of regional and bilateral issues that define the close partnership between the US and UAE, including, the enhancement of counter-terrorism cooperation against Daesh, as well as looking at ways to help resolve the conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya.
He thanked the Crown Prince for the UAE's dynamic humanitarian support to Syria and those affected by turmoil, and for UAE's contribution to the international stabilisation fund for Iraq. Biden encouraged increased UAE and GCC assistance to Iraqi communities liberated from Daesh.
The Vice President also highlighted that the UAE has shown immense effort in global leadership in the advancement of renewable energy, innovation and integration, especially regarding his visit to Masdar City.
Shaikh Mohammed and Biden also had health topics under their agenda, as they discussed ways to advance cooperation on finding a cure for cancer.
The Vice President will move to Dubai this morning, where he will hold a meeting with His highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Jill Biden will be visiting the K-12 School of Research Science and deliver remarks to commemorate International Women's Day while the US Vice-President will talk at a young entrepreneurs event, which will be held in Emirates Tower.
They will head to Tel Aviv from Dubai, where talks will be held with Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden will then meet President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine in Ramallah.
On Thursday, Biden will hold a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan at the Husseiniya Palace, before visiting a refugee camp.
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com
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