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President hails UAE Armed Forces on 36th anniversary

His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, has said that the country’s commitment to the development of its armed forces, through providing it with all requirements that enable it to fulfill its responsibilities and perform its duties, is a firm commitment and one of the national priorities.

In his message given on the occasion of the thirty-sixth anniversary of the unification of the armed forces, the President spelt out his trust in the capabilities of the armed forces to accommodate new technologies and most developed methods in its quest to remain at a high level of readiness and preparedness to assume responsibilities in the defence of the homeland and to protect its security and stability.

Shaikh Khalifa congratulated Their Highnesses the members of the Supreme Council and Rulers of the Emirates as well as all institutions and authorities in the country and the people of UAE over the great achievements of the Armed Forces.

In the message published by the Nation Shield (Dira Al Watan ) Magazine, the President also paid homage to the first generation of military men who were influential in enriching the march of the Armed Forces and laid the foundations for its stable growth and development.

“Based on the fact that defending rights and principles is still the most powerful weapon in our possession, our Armed Forces has always played an efficient role in the region including participation in the Peninsula Shield Force which represents just one mechanism of military cooperation among the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The Armed Forces have always made sure to shoulder their international responsibilities through contributing to the international peacekeeping forces. In all these roles, the Armed Forces set an example of discipline and commitment and reflected the authentic positive image of the nation and its people and added a humanitarian aspect to their traits.”

“Our commitment to developing our Armed Forces and providing all resources to enable them shoulder their responsibilities and carry out their duties is firm and unwavering and we are confident that these forces are capable of keeping up with modern technology and approaches to preserve their high preparedness to take up their responsibility of defending the nation and its security and stability. To further confirm the full integration among all national assets, our Armed Forces have always been active in national action though drawing up and implementing plans

as part of its role in sustainable development nationwide. This interaction and exchange of expertise with civil institutions contributed to efforts to provide the resources of sustainable social and economic development as well as to investing in national human recourses as the cornerstone in building and developing the nation and building national security based on our strong belief that protecting the nation, gains and achievements in the UAE is a collective responsibility for each and every citizen to shoulder as an expression of authentic patriotism and loyalty.”

“The achievements made by our Armed Forces over the past four decades have been a source of pride, but have also added a new responsibility on the shoulders all its members as the development achieved so far should not be the end but rather an incentive for more work and achievements. In light of the highly accelerating development of military technology, any negligence would mean, not only lagging behind but also the erosion of existing achievements.

As we celebrate with you the 36th anniversary of Unification of the UAE Armed Forces, we urge you to preserve your momentum and diligence for training and attain more education to remain an example of high preparedness and capability.

“As we celebrate the 36th anniversary of Unification of the UAE Armed Forces, we express our sincere congratulations to our brothers Members of Supreme Council, Their Highnesses Rulers of Emirates, all the federal and local institutions. We also express our high appreciation of the first generation of the military whose contributions have enriched the march of our Armed Forces and laid the firm foundations for its growth and development. We ask Allah Almighty to bless the souls of those who passed away and pray him to bless those who are retired or still working at civil institutions. God bless you all for the good of your country and nation. Assalam Alaikum”