His
statement came during a meeting with US Vice President Joe Biden in Abu Dhabi
March 8, where the two sides discussed boosting bilateral ties and ways to drive
them forward for the interest of the two nations. They also discussed a number
of regional issues, including the Syrian crisis, the fight against terrorism and
Yemen. Sheikh Mohamed spoke about the UAE's vision towards a stable, secure
Arab World that is aspiring for an optimistic and positive future, emphasising
that such a vision requires a serious, joint work to overcome crises threatening
the region. Sheikh Mohamed stressed on the mutual interest in guaranteeing
the security and stability of the Arab Gulf region, given its strategic importance
to the entire world. He said the UAE, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, is keen on cooperating
and exchanging views with its friends and allies, with the United States at the
forefront, in order to boost regional stability and draw up effective strategies
to tackle crises in Syria, Libya, and Yemen, in addition to the fight against
terrorism. His Highness reiterated the UAE’s support of all efforts toward
finding a settlement for the Syrian crisis that maintains the integrity of the
country’s lands, puts an end to the suffering of the Syrian people and meets their
aspirations. He expressed hope that the recently announced ceasefire which was
reached after US-Russian cooperation will represent the beginning of effective
and serious regional and international action towards laying the groundwork for
ending the Syrian problem. The two sides disused during the meeting a number
of regional issues, including Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen, which is being
carried out under the leadership of Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebels and their
allies in Yemen. The operation aims at enabling the internationally recognised
Yemeni government to carry out its sovereign duties and to serve the interests
of the Yemeni people. They also touched on existing cooperation between
the two nations in the area of combating terrorism and the efforts being exerted
to eradicate terrorism, extremism and terrorist organisations. The two sides stressed
that their countries will continue their fight against terrorism and that they
will continue to confront any actions that undermine regional and international
peace and security. For his part, US Vice President Joe Biden praised the
UAE's vision, its experiment and the role of its leadership in achieving stability
and development in a troubling regional setting. Biden also appreciated the transparent
and clear Emirati policy which underlines the nation's credibility. He expressed
his delight at visiting Abu Dhabi to see for himself the UAE's successful civilisational
and developmental experiment. Present at the meeting were Sheikh Tahnoun
bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Dr Anwar bin Mohammed
Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi,
Minister of State for International Cooperation; Dr Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al
Jaber, Minister of State; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive
Affairs Authority (EAA); Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE ambassador to the United States;
Barbara A Leaf, the US Ambassador to the UAE; and a number of officials accompanying
the US Vice President. | 
