No official statement was issued following the meeting on Wednesday between French President Emmanuel Macron and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The two leaders met in Paris on a working lunch outside the Elysee Palace. The meeting, which remained closed, is the third of its kind among the two officials, and the second to be held in Paris.
Macron’s first visit to Abu Dhabi a year ago coincided with the inauguration of the Louvre-Abu Dhabi Museum in the UAE capital, an ambitious cultural project between the two countries that reflects their level of cooperation in this field, as well as other areas, such as education.
The visit of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince to Paris was postponed at the beginning of October, at the request of the UAE, because of “urgent commitments” as issued by the French presidency.
No official statements were issued about visit, but Elysee Palace officials have disclosed some information, highlighting the “good relations” linking the two countries, which they described as “important partners.”
French presidential sources pointed out that the talks dealt with the crises in the Middle East, the war in Yemen, terrorism and Iranian policies, described by Paris as “destabilizing” and the war in Libya following the Palermo conference in Italy.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said in remarks broadcast by the UAE news agency that the UAE and France were partners in the fight against extremism and terrorism, supported the values of tolerance, promoted dialogue, interaction and coexistence among peoples, renounced intolerance and hatred and worked for peace, stability and development in the Middle East and the world.
Also on Wednesday, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, met with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.
The two ministers signed a series of cooperation agreements between their countries.
