ABU DHABI (awp/afp) – French President Emmanuel Macron and the new head of state of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nayane, held talks on Sunday, as dignitaries from around the world flocked to this Gulf countries to pay tribute to his late predecessor.
Mr. Macron was the first Western leader to travel to Abu Dhabi to pay tribute to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Emirati president who died on Friday, and to offer his “sincere condolences to all his family and to the people” of the Emirates, according to the French presidency.
The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, the American Vice-President, Kamala Harris, and the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, as well as the Israeli President and the King of Spain are on the long list of senior officials expected in the Emirates.
Arrived early in the morning, the French head of state, who was making the first trip to his new five-year term, which began on Saturday after his re-election on April 24, went to a palace in Abu Dhabi where he received Mohammed ben Zayed Al-Nayane, known as “MBZ”, the new president and strongman of this oil-rich country.
Mr. Macron “expressed his determination to pursue and develop all that they have undertaken together for five years. The United Arab Emirates are a strategic partner of France, and the extent of our cooperation, in such varied fields that defence, culture and education, testifies to it”, specified the presidency while reporting on the exchange.
The two men then joined the “majlis”, the assembly which brings together in a huge hall of the palace the very many members of the family of the deceased since his death at the age of 73.
The UAE has begun to wield increased influence in the Middle East and beyond through its oil resources and strategic location.
MBZ had been considered the country’s de facto ruler since 2014 when Sheikh Khalifa, his 73-year-old half-brother, was sidelined following a stroke.
Leaders of countries around the world including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Tunisia and the de facto ruler of Sudan, offered their condolences on Saturday.
“Concerns” around Ukraine
The emir of Qatar, the king of Bahrain and the presidents of Germany and Indonesia are among the many senior officials whose visit is expected on Sunday.
A close ally of MBZ, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called the new Emirati president to congratulate him, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed his “dynamic and visionary leadership”. in a tweet.
Emmanuel Macron, who met MBZ many times during his first term, never spoke with Sheikh Khalifa, who has declined since his stroke in 2014.
The French president had visited the Emirates in December 2021, where he had visited the Dubai World Expo and supervised the signing of several contracts, including one for the supply of 80 Rafale fighter jets, a record order for the fighter aircraft entered service in 2004.
The French and Emirati presidents also expressed “their concerns” about the war in Ukraine and its consequences, “in particular on energy and global food security”, according to Mr. Macron’s entourage.
The latter also had a meeting with his Mauritanian counterpart, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, one of the many leaders present in Abu Dhabi to offer their condolences.
Emmanuel Macron was to return to Paris on Sunday evening, while the appointment of a new Prime Minister, followed by that of the government, is expected in France at the start of the week.
jri/bfi