In his opening address, Information Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister, Mohammed Khalifa Al Murar, said: “The visit of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Syria and Algeria was a genuine expression of His Highness’ eagerness to strengthen brotherly relations among Arab countries and benefit their people.”
In a presentation, the deputy premier’s Information Affairs Office said that the UAE has acquired its distinct status in the international community due to its wise policies in dealing with the international system and its institutions.
It pointed out that Shaikh Khalifa has expressed a strong adherence to the lofty civilisational values and feelings of love and peace for all human beings.
Speaking on the occasion, Rustum Al Zou’bi, Syrian Ambassador to the UAE, said, “Syria is proud of its brotherly relations with the UAE and the visit of His Highness to Syria was an important and successful chapter in the history of UAE-Syrian relations.”
He added that the two distinguished leaders, Shaikh Khalifa and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, were keen on cementing ties and developing strong cooperation keeping in mind Arab people’s interests.
Dr Adnan Mahmoud, Director-General of Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), in a paper titled, Syria and United Arab Emirates: Close Relations and Visions for a Full Coordination, stated that Syria-UAE relations reflect the wise policies adopted by both the countries.
He expressed gratitude to Shaikh Khalifa for the $ 100 million donation for building a hospital in Syria.
Mahmoud noted that Shaikh Khalifa’s visit constituted a quantum leap in the level of thorough coordination in all issues, especially those related to comprehensive development in the two countries and the current events in the region as well.
The SANA director pointed out that the Arab summit will take place in Damascus in March 2008 with the help of joint efforts by the leaderships in Syria and the UAE.
Abdel Malek Maoudj, Acting Chargé d’Affaires, Algerian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, said, “The significance of the visit of President Shaikh Khalifa to Algeria proceeds from the depth of the brotherly ties binding the two peoples as well as the good political relations between the two countries. The visit precisely reflects the eagerness of leaderships in the two countries for strengthening bilateral cooperation in all fields.”
He pointed out that Algeria has been successful in enhancing friendly ties with the UAE in all fields.
