US Secretary Blinken discusses cooperation, regional issues with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince

On Sunday, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on phone to discuss critical regional matters, as per the reports of Arab News. In a statement, spokesman for the US Department of State, Ned Price said that Sheikh Mohammed and Blinken reaffirmed their nation longstanding friendship and discussed ways to widen and deepen their wide-ranging cooperation. Price also stated that Secretary Blinken and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed also spoke about significant regional issues.

In the statement Price continued by stating that Blinken also praised the crown prince for the UAE's generous cooperation in hosting and facilitating the safe movement of US citizens, embassy officials, and foreign nationals from Afghanistan to third countries. Blinken took to microblogging site Twitter and announced that he had a conversation with Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Zayed regarding the key regional issues and the joint work on Afghanistan.

Chinese military in their nation could jeopardise US-UAE relations

As the relations between the US and China is deteriorating, recently, the US government allegedly warned the UAE administration that the presence of the Chinese military in their nation could jeopardise US-UAE relations. According to a Wall Street Journal, the development of a covert Chinese military installation near an Abu Dhabi port was halted after the Biden administration intervened. US secret services discovered evidence of the secret Chinese construction earlier this year in UAE.

On the other hand, during the two-day 5th Indian Ocean Conference, which began on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed held separate conversations with his counterparts from Oman, India, and Sri Lanka, according to Arab News. Sheikh Abdullah greeted Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi, emphasising the importance of the UAE-Sultanate relationship. He also welcomed Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Gamini Lakshman Pierce to Abu Dhabi, where the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to help each other in a variety of industries.

UAE's Foreign Minister meets EAM Jaishankar

EAM Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also met Sheikh Abdullah and hailed the UAE's deep friendship with his country, according to Arab News. During the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed welcomed Dr Jaishankar, who also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's congratulations on the UAE's Golden Jubilee celebrations, as well as his wishes for the country and its people to progress and prosper, and for the two countries' relations to advance and develop.

Image: AP