Western media celebrates the visit of the President of the UAE to France. What did it say?
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to France was well received by foreign media, which praised its timing and messages.
American ABC News, quoting the Elysee Palace, said that the visit is the first by an Emirati president to France since 1991. It is the first visit by an Emirati president to a Western country since he assumed the presidency of the United Arab Emirates, confirming the strength of relations between the two countries.
Annie Jadel, Arab Gulf expert at Middle East and North Africa Observatory, said in an interview with CNN: “I think the visit is a sign of appreciation for France, which is seen in the UAE as a reliable partner in the region”.
CNN notes that the UAE and France share similar foreign policy views on pressing security issues, particularly Libya and Lebanon.
Since winning his first term, Macron has sought to strengthen France’s alliance with countries far from his region, such as the United Arab Emirates, Britain’s Independent newspaper reported.
According to the newspaper, the two countries’ views coincide on many issues related to the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean.
Reuters reported that the French government said the partnership aims to explore joint investment projects in France or the UAE in the hydrogen, renewable energy and nuclear sectors. “This agreement will pave the way for a stable long-term framework for cooperation, opening the way for new industrial contracts”.
France24 said the UAE has emerged as a key partner for Western countries as they race to obtain energy deals around the world to replace Russian imports.
After the lunch meeting between the two leaders, an agreement was signed between French energy giant Total Energy and UAE state oil company ADNOC “to cooperate in the field of energy supply”.
The visit included meetings between UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and French Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne, President of the Senate (Upper House of Parliament) Gerald Larcher and President of the French National Assembly (Parliament) Yael Borne, as well as meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The visit was also praised by the Associated Press, which noted the signing of trade and energy agreements, the launch of the Emirates-France Business Council, which aims to open new horizons and raise the level of bilateral cooperation in a number of sectors of common interest, in addition to the signing of 12 agreements and memoranda of understanding to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries and develop their prospects in various fields, including an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership in the field of energy.
