Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed: UAE believes in peace as a way to achieve people's aspirations for progress and prosperity

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has congratulated the UAE Armed Forces personnel on the 46th UAE Armed Forces Unification Day.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed said the UAE believes in peace as a way to achieve people's aspirations for progress and prosperity, strengthen its foundations in the region and create suitable conditions to establish efficient partnerships and achieve development and prosperity in the region.

Noting that stable and sustainable peace requires a solid force to protect it, he affirmed the UAE's stance in prioritising the development and modernisation of its Armed Forces. The speech of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed is as follows:

My dear sons, Armed Forces officers and soldiers, Congratulations on the 46th anniversary of the Armed Forces Unification Day.

We celebrate this anniversary as we embark on a new era of our nation's history, through which we aim to realise great ambitions that will achieve our people's interests, the country's development and prosperity and enhance its international stature. Our Armed Forces are in the middle of all these processes, protecting and supporting the country's capacities and inspiring confidence in a bright present and future.

On this special national occasion, we commemorate the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and other fellow Founding Leaders who took the wise historic decision to unify the UAE Armed Forces on 6th May, 1976, to be the nation's shield and the cornerstone of its unity and develop. On the occasion, we also commemorate the sacrifices of our martyrs in all fields of action, both inside and outside the country.

We proudly remember all generations of officials who served the UAE military and their valuable additions to its development and strengthening of its overall capacities with much appreciation and gratitude. At the same time, we look forward to further development and the modernisation of our Armed Forces in the upcoming period, to remain the symbol of the UAE's pride, a protector of justice and a supporter of friends and brothers.

Since the formation of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed was aware that the process of development requires a force that protects the country's achievements. Therefore, he prioritised the development of the UAE Armed Forces, which is the approach continued by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Our Armed Forces have always addressed all the challenges facing the country and the region over the past decades and will always be the protective shield that deters enemies and their evil conspiracies.

We live in a turbulent and rapidly changing regional and international environment, which poses numerous threats and risks to the national security of countries that require us to be constantly ready and capable of addressing the fast-paced developments around us.

I am confident that our valiant Armed Forces, with its national military approach, sense of patriotism and expertise and awareness of regional and international situations, can keep pace with recent developments due to efficient vision and strategies to address various risks.

The UAE Armed Forces, thanks to Allah Almighty, has become one of the strongest and most advanced armies in the region due to its ongoing development and modernisation strategy launched by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, which focussed on supporting our Armed Forces with excellence and readiness in the areas of training, weaponry and military education.

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