UAE-US statement on President Sheikh Mohamed's historic visit in full

The UAE and the US on Tuesday issued a joint statement to mark President Sheikh Mohamed's historic official visit to the White House. Sheikh Mohamed held high-level talks with US President Joe Biden on Monday, in what was the first meeting between sitting UAE and US presidents on American soil since the Emirates was formed in 1971. The UAE leader also met Vice President Kamala Harris as part of the milestone trip. The statement referred to the two countries as “dynamic strategic partners” and affirmed the strength of long-standing ties developed over several decades. The statement stressed that the US views the UAE as a major defence partner, and that Washington aimed to bolster defence co-operation and security in the Middle East, East Africa and the Indian Ocean. The nations set out plans to expand economic links, advance the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector, promote peace and security in the region and beyond and support critical climate action. Here is the US-UAE joint leaders’ statement in full: President Sheikh Mohamed and President Joe Biden met today at the White House during an official visit of President Sheikh Mohamed to the United States. The visit is the first-ever by a President of the United Arab Emirates to Washington and marks the leaders’ fourth bilateral meeting in the Biden-Harris administration. The leaders affirmed the enduring US-UAE strategic and defence partnership, bolstered areas of deepening co-operation in advanced technology and investments, and discussed global and regional matters. The leaders pledged to pursue new opportunities to strengthen their economic and defence partnership; promote peace and stability across the Middle East and wider region; and deliver global leadership on issues of shared importance. The five decades of US-UAE ties and friendship are rooted in a strong foundation of close collaboration that has underpinned our countries’ prosperity and security. The leaders welcomed the significant progress between the United Arab Emirates and the United States during their tenure through co-operation in building trusted technology ecosystems, the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI), the US-UAE Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE) initiative, and the Economic Policy Dialogue (EPD), all of which serve to uplift economic and trade ties between the two countries. On particular issues of discussion: Our countries’ strong foundation of partnership is reflected in our close alignment on key economic objectives and in the excellence of our private sectors that generate more than $40 billion of bilateral trade annually and an access of $26 billion of US exports to the UAE. The leaders charted an ambitious course for the United Arab Emirates and the United States to lead global efforts to develop and expand new fields central to the global economy, particularly in advanced technologies and the clean energy required to power artificial intelligence. They welcomed the partnership between Microsoft and UAE’s Group 42 (G42) through Microsoft’s $1.5 billion investment in April 2024. This investment is accelerating joint AI development to bring advanced AI and digital infrastructure to countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. The leaders further welcomed Microsoft and G42’s ongoing digital transformation in Kenya, which will leverage 1 gigawatt of geothermal energy to power data centres, to enable the deployment of cloud infrastructure and AI services for the public sector and regulated industries as well as enterprises. Further, the partnership will support the development of local large language models and the establishment of an East African innovation lab. Additionally, the partnership hopes to encourage international and local connectivity investments, and collaboration with the government of Kenya to enable digital transformation programmes across East Africa. These initiatives mark the beginning of our partnership and investments in the responsible deployment of advanced technologies, clean energy, and frontier technologies that will be the engine that powers our interconnected world. To meet the promise of this transformational moment and harness the potential of leading-edge technologies to improve human welfare globally, Mr Biden and President Sheikh Mohamed welcomed the Common Principles for Co-operation on AI, endorsed today by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and UAE National Security Adviser, and through which the United States and the United Arab Emirates aim to further strengthen co-operation, develop regulatory frameworks, promote the safe and trusted deployment of critical and emerging technologies, and enable enhanced support for joint private-public sector research and academic exchanges. Building on our collaboration in the field of advanced technology, this partnership incorporates safeguards to protect the national security of both countries, enable trusted investments and entrepreneurship, and facilitate cross-border innovation, while creating jobs and facilitating the protection of advanced US technologies and respect for international principles, best practices and human rights. Moving forward, the leaders decided to promote the expansion of relationships among scientific, academic, and research and development communities. The leaders reviewed progress on efforts to build a more interconnected, integrated world in committing to secure and resilient supply chains through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI). President Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Biden discussed progress on the landmark India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) launched at the 2023 G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi together with the leaders of India, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union. The leaders reaffirmed that the corridor – connecting India to Europe by ship-to-rail connections through the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Europe through Greece – will generate economic growth, incentivise new investments, increase efficiencies and reduce costs, enhance economic unity, generate jobs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and enable the transformative integration of Asia, Europe and the Middle East. They underscored that this transformative partnership has the potential to usher in a new era of international connectivity to facilitate global trade, expand reliable access to electricity, facilitate clean energy distribution, and strengthen telecommunication. The two leaders emphasised the importance of joint initiatives to promote a circular economy, reduce waste, facilitate recycling, and advance sustainable practices, underscoring their commitment to innovation for resource efficiency and environmentally responsible growth. The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to continue their efforts with international partners and the private sector to connect the continents to commercial hubs and facilitate the development and export of clean energy; support existing trade and manufacturing synergies; strengthen food security and supply chains; and link energy grids and telecommunication lines through undersea cables to expand access to electricity, enable innovation of advanced clean energy technology, and connect communities to secure and stable internet. The leaders additionally discussed the importance of ongoing efforts to co-operate on strategic investments in hard infrastructure and critical minerals-supply chains in Africa and emerging markets globally. These investments aim to diversify sourcing of critical minerals that are essential components to clean energy and advanced technologies, including batteries, wind turbines, semiconductors, and electric vehicles. Mr Biden recognised the United Arab Emirates’ leadership in strategic investments globally to ensure reliable access to critical infrastructure including, ports, mines, and logistics hubs through the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company, Abu Dhabi Ports and DP World. Both leaders committed to remain in close touch on future investment opportunities and maintain co-operation on strategic investments. The leaders additionally highlighted that the US – UAE 123 Agreement, which provides a comprehensive framework for peaceful nuclear co-operation based on a mutual commitment to nuclear non-proliferation, is the “gold standard” for securing and propelling the next generation of technologies. The leaders underscored the importance of US-UAE leadership at Cop28, which galvanised world leaders to take action and address the climate crisis. President Biden thanked President Sheikh Mohamed for his extraordinary commitment that was central to the groundbreaking outcomes at Cop28 in Dubai resulting in the UAE Consensus. The two leaders recognised that this moment represents a unique opportunity to create sustainable and clean energy jobs, revitalise communities, improve quality of life, and power digital infrastructure with renewable energy across both countries and around the globe. In this context, the two leaders affirmed their shared commitment to protecting our precious planet and securing a sustainable future for humanity through united leadership across various platforms, including the upcoming Cop29 and beyond, which will serve to advance climate action and strengthen global partnerships. The two leaders expressed their determination to leverage visionary initiatives, including the Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE), the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C), the First Movers Coalition, the Net Zero Producers Forum, the Global Methane Pledge, Carbon Management Challenge, the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter (OGDC), the Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA), the Global Biofuels Alliance, and Global Flaring and Methane Reduction (GFMR) Trust Fund; and encourage commercial partnerships to decarbonise our energy systems, reduce emissions in pursuit of a net zero economy, and deliver prosperity to future generations. Mr Biden and President Sheikh Mohamed reaffirmed their strong commitment to collaborate on sustainability and climate resilience, emphasising their commitment to addressing global challenges through innovative solutions. The two leaders underscored their joint efforts in advancing AgriTech and vertical farming innovations, key drivers in enhancing food security for future generations. They highlighted ongoing co-operation in humanitarian initiatives aimed at addressing food insecurity in vulnerable regions, particularly through agricultural development and capacity building in climate affected areas. Recognising the impact of climate change on public health, the leaders emphasised the need to integrate health resilience into comprehensive climate action strategies. Mr Biden also congratulated the United Arab Emirates on its many successes in its two Years of Sustainability (2023-2024), including the recent announcement on co-hosting the next UN Water Conference in 2026 with Senegal, noting the critical importance of accessible and affordable clean water to all; and its significance within various sectors in the clean energy transition, addressing climate change, and the sustainable development agenda. Under the US-UAE Partnership to Accelerate Clean Energy (Pace) initiative, the United States and the UAE are announcing several initiatives that will continue our efforts to ensure a swift and smooth transition towards clean energy. The United States and United Arab Emirates remain committed to investing together in Africa and working to end energy poverty across sub-Saharan Africa. Today, the UAE-based Averi Finance and AMEA Power are both private sector partners under the US-led Power Africa Initiative, joining an existing partnership with UAE-based company Phanes. As private sector partners, these firms will be offered tailored assistance from transaction advisers and technical experts and can benefit from services offered by participating US government departments and agencies. To support the Power Africa initiative, Averi Finance intends to facilitate $5 billion in investments, build 3GW of power generation projects, construct over 3,000 kilometres of transmission or distribution lines, establish over 500,000 new home and business connections, and aim for a CO2 equivalent reduction or avoidance of 90 million tonnes. AMEA Power and Power Africa have recently entered into a partnership to accelerate power projects. AMEA Power is targeting 5GW of renewable energy capacity in Africa by 2030, and to realise this target, intends to mobilise $5 billion in capital. Additionally, under Pace, Adnoc has announced a 35 per cent stake in ExxonMobil’s proposed low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia production facility in Baytown, Texas. This facility aims to produce up to approximately 900,000 tonnes of low-carbon ammonia per year, enabling the transition to cleaner fuels in hard-to-abate sectors. Plynth Energy – a recently established Abu Dhabi government-owned early-stage fund focused on fusion technologies and supply chains – invested in the US company Zap Energy, which plans to build scalable and commercially-viable fusion energy. This investment will help fund the further development of Zap Energy’s small-format commercial fusion technology. Zap Energy is a participant in the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Milestone-Based Fusion Development Programme, and will receive DOE funding based on reaching development milestones to support the design of a fusion pilot plant. Lastly, as two of over 155 participants in the Global Methane Pledge, the US and the UAE will accelerate their respective domestic methane reductions, work together to support countries undertaking methane abatement, and call on others to do the same by advancing methane reduction projects, strengthening methane standards and regulations, addressing methane super emitter events, and identifying appropriate financing for methane reduction. As founding nation members of the Artemis Accords, President Sheikh Mohamed and President Biden reinforced the US and UAE’s groundbreaking co-operation in space, the future of human exploration, and our shared interest in deepening our understanding of the universe. The leaders recalled the role of this partnership in the historic launch of the first Arab probe to Mars, the Hope Probe in 2021, and the resulting and ongoing global scientific collaboration and contribution to the study of Mars’ atmosphere. This strategic partnership in deep space missions is further exemplified by the UAE Space Agency’s announcement of the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, the first multi-asteroid tour and landing mission to the main belt, with the partner, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder. The leaders highlighted the January 2024 Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre agreement with Nasa for the centre to provide an airlock for Gateway, humanity’s first space station to orbit the Moon, supported by Nasa’s missions for long-term Moon exploration under the Artemis Programme. The airlock will allow crew and equipment transfers to-and-from the habitable environment of Gateway’s pressurised modules to the vacuum of space. This agreement will also enable the first Emirati astronaut to fly to the Gateway for joint exploration of the Moon. This co-operation builds on Nasa and the UAE’s previous human spaceflight collaboration. In 2019, Maj Hazza Al Mansouri became the first Emirati astronaut to fly to space during a visit to the International Space Station (ISS), where he worked with Nasa to perform experiments and educational outreach. A second Emirati astronaut, Dr Sultan Al Neyadi (now Minister of State for Youth Affairs), launched to the ISS in 2023, where he participated in the floating laboratory’s scientific research to advance human knowledge and improve life on Earth. The leaders welcomed continued training of astronauts, including two Emirati astronaut candidates in training at the Johnson Space Centre, as well as ongoing work on Mars research and scientific studies to support mutual exploration goals. Sharing the common spirit and ambition of humanity’s journey in space, the leaders reaffirmed the principles of the Artemis Accords to explore and use outer space for peaceful purposes and usher in a new era of exploration, as well as obligations under the Outer Space Treaty, including the requirement that countries not place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kind of weapons of mass destruction. President Sheikh Mohamed and President Biden praised the strong security and defence partnership with the UAE. President Biden strongly affirmed the United States’ commitment to the United Arab Emirates’ security and territorial defence, and to facilitating its ability to obtain necessary capabilities to defend its people and territory against external threats. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a strong bilateral security and defence relationship and to expanding defence and security co-operation to bolster joint defence capabilities against external threats, including through the Department of Defence’s State Partnership Programme. The leaders affirmed a shared vision of an interconnected, peaceful, tolerant, and prosperous region as outlined by President Biden during the GCC+3 summit meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 16, 2022. They reviewed the proud legacy of standing shoulder-to-shoulder, in peace and in conflict, including the UAE’s support for American-led counterterrorism missions since the attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington on September 11, 2001, to deter threats, de-escalate conflicts, and reduce tensions globally. Specifically, the leaders recalled the United States and the United Arab Emirates standing alongside each other in the global coalition against Daesh, and prior conflicts: Somalia, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. The leaders reviewed ongoing initiatives and investments in advanced systems that have made the United Arab Emirates one of the most capable US military partners in the region, in addition to a robust schedule of bilateral and multilateral exercises. They underscored the importance of strengthening efforts to combat regional threats, advance counterterrorism initiatives, reinforce maritime security and counter-piracy efforts, increase security co-operation, and intercept illicit shipments of weaponry and technology. The leaders discussed deepening investment in US defence systems and acknowledged that military-to-military co-operation with the United Arab Emirates’ armed services helps ensure interoperability with the United States through the provision of advanced defence articles and services. They further decided to explore potential investment in our most advanced defence systems and to maintain regular exchanges to deepen partnership in research and development. The leaders reaffirmed the 2017 Defence Co-operation Agreement, an important step for both countries that underscored their vital and long-standing collaboration in defeating terrorist groups, such as Daesh and Al Qaeda, securing regional stability, and combating threats against their common interests including terrorist financing. They underscored the importance of the annual Joint Military Dialogue as the foremost bilateral defence forum for advancing the US-UAE defence partnership, including reviewing shared security interests, as well as discussing strategic objectives for the relationship and challenges in the region, such as maritime security, counter-piracy, counterterrorism co-operation, and domain awareness in the Middle East, the Indian Ocean, and East Africa. They further noted the recognition by the Security Council in Resolution 2686 that hate speech, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, related forms of intolerance, gender discrimination and acts of extremism can contribute to driving the outbreak, escalation and recurrence of conflict. Acknowledging the US and UAE’s deepening security partnership and co-operation in advanced technology and acquisition, shared interest in preventing conflict and de-escalation, President Biden today recognised the United Arab Emirates as a Major Defence Partner of the United States, joined by only India, to further enhance defence co-operation and security in the Middle East, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean regions. This unique designation as a Major Defence Partner will allow for unprecedented co-operation through joint training, exercises, and military-to-military collaboration, between the military forces of the United States, the UAE and India, as well as other common military partners, in furtherance of regional stability. Both leaders committed to close and sustained co-operation among our militaries. The leaders stressed the importance of reaching a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law including the UN Charter. The leaders discussed persisting and emerging threats to peace and stability in the Middle East and the wider region. They renewed their commitment to upholding international law, particularly international humanitarian law, work with parties to resolve conflicts and protect civilians, and to provide urgently needed aid to alleviate human suffering. They reiterated the importance of sustainable and enduring solutions to the security threats in the region, including those posed by non-state terrorist actors. They discussed the enduring importance of the Abraham Accords and continuing on the path of peace, integration, and prosperity in the region. The leaders discussed the war in Gaza. They underscored their commitment to continue working together towards ending the conflict, calling for a lasting and sustainable ceasefire and the release of hostages and detainees in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2735, and affirmed that all sides to the conflict must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law. President Biden commended the UAE’s extraordinary humanitarian efforts in Gaza, which have been critical in addressing the humanitarian crisis, including through the launch of a maritime corridor for movement of aid, opening a field hospital in Gaza, and supporting evacuations of wounded civilians and cancer patients. The two leaders emphasised the ongoing need for the urgent, unhindered, and sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance, at a scale commensurate with the growing needs among the civilian population throughout Gaza. They called on all parties to ensure the safety, security, and sustained access of aid workers to all those in need, and to create the conditions needed to facilitate an effective humanitarian response in Gaza. President Sheikh Mohamed commended the mediation efforts by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, to reach a lasting and sustainable ceasefire and hostage release deal to help end the war in Gaza. His Highness also echoed the principles laid out by President Biden on May 31, 2024, and stressed the importance of building on this proposal in order to create a serious political horizon for negotiation. To that end, the leaders discussed a path to stabilisation and recovery that responds to the humanitarian crisis, establishes law and order, and lays the groundwork for responsible governance. The leaders expressed their commitment to the two-state solution, wherein a sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state lives side-by-side in peace and security with Israel, as the only way to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in accordance with the internationally recognised parameters and the Arab Peace Initiative. They stressed the need to refrain from all unilateral measures that undermine the two-state solution, and to preserve the historic status quo of Jerusalem’s holy sites, recognising the special role of Jordan in this regard. On the conflict in Sudan, the leaders expressed their deep concern over the tragic impact the violence has had on the Sudanese people and on neighbouring countries. Both leaders expressed alarm at the millions of individuals who have been displaced by the war, the hundreds of thousands experiencing famine, and the atrocities committed by the belligerents against the civilian population. They stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Sudan and underscored their firm and unwavering position on the imperative for concrete and immediate action to achieve a lasting cessation of hostilities, the return to the political process, and transition to civilian-led governance. Both leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to de-escalate the conflict, alleviate the suffering of the people of Sudan, ensure humanitarian assistance reaches the Sudanese people, and prevent Sudan from attracting transnational terrorist networks once again. Noting their shared concern about the risk of imminent atrocities, particularly as fighting continues in Darfur, they underscored that all parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, and all individuals and groups that commit war crimes must be held accountable. The leaders emphasised that the priority right now must be the protection of civilians, particularly women, children and the elderly, securing humanitarian pauses in order to scale up and facilitate the movement of humanitarian assistance into the country and across conflict lines, and ensuring the delivery of aid to those in need, especially to the most vulnerable. The leaders emphasised that safety and stability in cyberspace is critical for digital economic growth and development, and reaffirmed their commitment to an open, interoperable, secure and reliable internet, underpinned by the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance. They committed to deepen co-operation on cybersecurity and to enhance cyber collaboration to protect critical infrastructure, counter malicious cyber activity by state and non-state actors, and noted that the UAE’s significant contributions to the International Counter Ransomware Initiative reflects the strength of our co-operation. The leaders committed to promote stability in cyberspace based on the applicability of international law including the United Nations Charter, the promotion of voluntary norms of responsible state behaviour during peacetime, and the development and implementation of confidence building measures between states. The United States and the United Arab Emirates are both entrepreneurial nations, joined together by a relentless focus on the future. Our aspirations are rooted in a common resolve to pursue innovative partnerships in new fields, including AI, food security, infrastructure investment, and supply chain resilience, even as we continue to strengthen the foundational element of our partnership: our long-standing people-to-people ties. These connections between our countries drive progress and expand horizons, from clean energy technologies, to AI, defence co-operation, space exploration, and ongoing co-ordination across priority areas of science, education, and culture. This first-ever official visit by a President of the United Arab Emirates to the United States sets a new foundation for our countries’ co-operation for decades to come.

UAE-US statement on President Sheikh Mohamed's historic visit in full

UAE and US issue joint leaders' statement after Sheikh Mohamed holds White House talks with President Joe Biden