Sheikh Abdullah and UK's David Lammy discuss Israel-Gaza de-escalation

It is the UK Foreign Secretary's first official visit to the UAE since his appointment in July

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Abu Dhabi. Photo: WAM

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, held talks with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

They discussed the latest developments in the region and agreed on the importance of de-escalation, state news agency Wam reported on Saturday. It is Mr Lammy's first official visit to the UAE since being appointed Foreign Secretary in July.

The leaders also spoke about ways to build on the deep historic ties shared between the two countries and how "to develop a forward-looking partnership, including strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties, co-operation on clean energy and artificial intelligence, and close co-ordination on regional security and humanitarian issues", a joint statement said.

In a post on X, Mr Lammy highlighted how "the UK-UAE relationship is central to driving economic growth – it's our largest trading partner in the region".

He added that his discussions with Sheikh Abdullah focused on "deepening co-operation across investment, defence and energy, as well as our shared focus on regional stability".

During a conversation following his appointment in July, Sheikh Abdullah said he was keen to work with Mr Lammy to reinforce and develop bilateral relations between the two countries.