Face challenges and strengthen ties, 5 summits between Mohamed bin Zayed and Biden in 5 months
Five summits brought together UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US President Joe Biden in five months, the latest of which took place Wednesday evening.
Many summits in a short period highlight the strategic partnership between the two sides and their keenness on consultation and continuous coordination.
The summits focused on the promotion of relations between the two countries and the means to confront global challenges, foremost among which are energy security and the climate change crisis.
The latest of these summits brought together UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US President Joe Biden, during a video conference on Wednesday evening. During the meeting, they discussed the historical friendship and strategic partnership between the two countries and means of supporting them in various fields, in addition to global challenges.
The summit comes after two summits between Sheikh Mohamed and President Obama in Jeddah on July 16, one bilateral gathering the two leaders and another Arab-American, two days after they participated in a summit held remotely by leaders of the I2U group, which includes the United Arab Emirates, the United States, India and Israel.
Prior to those four summits, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan participated in the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate Change, convened by Joe Biden last June 18 and held remotely.
Friendly atmosphere and strategic relations
The friendly atmosphere witnessed during the most recent summit between the two leaders, despite the importance of the topics discussed, was evident in the smiles on the faces of the two leaders during the talks, which highlights the strength of relations between the two sides.
Besides discussing ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, the summit also addressed global challenges including energy security and climate change.
The strategic partnership initiative between the two countries to invest $100 billion in the implementation of clean energy projects, signed by the two countries on Tuesday, was also present during the talks between the UAE and US leaders.
The initiative aims to generate an additional 100 gigawatts of clean energy in the two countries and emerging economies around the world by 2035, contributing to the promotion of common climate goals and global energy security.
During the talks, President Joe Biden and Sheikh Mohamed welcomed the partnership initiative and emphasized a number of issues, including:
– Depth of strategic relations between the two countries.
– Their commitment to promote ambition and climate action in line with the goal of “climate neutrality” by 2050.
– Promote stability in the global energy market, increase their investments in renewable energy and deepen their close cooperation in this regard.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan highlighted his country’s efforts to strengthen energy security and confront climate change, which is the biggest challenge facing humanity, during the talks with facts and figures.
– UAE investments to increase its production capacity from both renewable energy and low-carbon conventional energy.
– The United Arab Emirates has increased its renewable energy capacity 200-fold in the last decade by building three solar power plants that are among the largest and least expensive in the world.
– UAE funding and assistance for clean energy projects around the world, including within America and 31 Caribbean and Pacific small island developing States.
The two leaders’ talks, held during the video conference, which was attended by Yousef Manie Al-Otaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States of America, dealt with strengthening strategic relations and discussing ways to confront global challenges, foremost of which are energy security and climate change. The talks highlight their efforts and their tireless efforts to support the security and stability of the world and to spread prosperity to its people despite the challenges.
2 Summit in Jeddah
The UAE-US summit was held via video conference after nearly three months of two summits in Jeddah on July 16th.
The summit brought together the two leaders and dealt with the development of strategic relations between the two countries and ways of coordination to face regional and global challenges.
During the meeting, the two sides affirmed their commitment to deepening intensive security cooperation, which has made both countries more secure and contributing to regional peace and stability, noting their close cooperation that has been going on for decades in the fight against terrorism.
During the meeting, Biden also welcomed the UAE’s long-standing commitment to global energy security as a reliable and responsible resource, and noted its leading role in advancing climate action, energy transformation, and the development of clean energy technologies.
He praised the exceptional status of the UAE as a force for change, global citizenship and prosperity, and commended the leadership of the UAE in promoting religious coexistence.
On the same day, the two leaders also participated in the Jeddah Summit on Security and Development, in which the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq also participated, affirming their shared vision for a peaceful and prosperous region.
I2U2 Leaders Summit
Two days before the Jeddah summit, leaders of the I2U2 group – which includes the UAE, the US, India and Israel – held a teleconference with both leaders.
During the summit, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed the importance of partnerships in overcoming the interconnected challenges facing the world today, the most important of which are food and energy security, climate change and health care.
He hoped that the Quartet would serve as a model for peace and prosperity lovers.
Major economies forum
A month before the summit, Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan participated in the “Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate Change,” convened by Biden on June 17, in which the UAE participated as host to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in 2023.
The forum brought together leaders and heads of government from 17 major economies, which account for 80% of global GDP and population.
During his participation in the forum, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan laid out a roadmap for the world to confront climate change, based on several axes, the most important of which is strengthening international cooperation to confront this challenge.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan called on the world to accelerate efforts and joint action to confront climate change, noting that his country has already assumed a leading and influential role in this regard.
He revealed that his country has invested $100 billion in clean energy projects around the world, of which $50 billion is planned for the next decade.
Inspiring model
The five summits that brought together UAE and US leaders, both bilateral and international, since Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan took office on May 14, have highlighted the world’s trust in the United Arab Emirates and the United States in particular in the vision of the UAE leadership and its prominent role in facing global challenges.
The messages of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during all these summits also embody the UAE’s quest to promote human fraternity through pioneering initiatives facing global challenges.
Initiatives culminating in the United Arab Emirates as an inspiring example that seeks to achieve security and stability and confront global challenges, foremost among them climate change to protect the future of humanity.
