Lead:
The United Arab Emirates intensified its diplomatic activity on multiple fronts, engaging Kuwait, Qatar, Portugal, Uzbekistan, and Ireland, while simultaneously condemning Iran's missile attack on Jordan and welcoming the United States' move to remove Syria from its state sponsors of terrorism list. These developments reflect the UAE's sustained effort to position itself as a central stabilizing actor in a rapidly shifting regional landscape.
Details:
According to Al Khaleej, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Mishaal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah during a fraternal visit, during which the two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation and discussed regional developments. The meeting underscored the depth of Gulf-to-Gulf coordination at the highest level. Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan conducted telephone calls with several foreign ministers of brotherly and friendly states to review the full range of regional developments, according to Al Khaleej.
Al Khaleej further reports that Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani jointly condemned in the strongest terms the attack on the tanker Al Rukayyat, signaling coordinated Gulf concern over maritime security. On the diplomatic track with Europe, the UAE and Portugal held their first round of political consultations in Lisbon, led on the UAE side by Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh, while Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimi and Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi met with Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee to advance bilateral relations and economic partnership.
The UAE also welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement initiating procedures to remove Syria from the American list of state sponsors of terrorism, expressing full solidarity with Syria and supporting Syrian security measures aimed at dismantling affiliated cells, as reported by Al Khaleej. On the security front, the UAE condemned in the strongest terms what it described as Iran's aggressive missile attack targeting the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the President, emphasized that reinforcing unity among Gulf Cooperation Council states is a supreme necessity in confronting current threats, according to Al Khaleej.
On the economic front, Al Khaleej reports that Badr Jafar, Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister for Business and Philanthropic Affairs, concluded an official working visit to Germany, where the UAE was identified as Germany's most important economic partner in the Gulf with bilateral trade reaching 13.56 billion euros.
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