President Sheikh Mohamed meets Russian security chief

UAE leader reviews efforts to boost co-operation in talks with Sergei Shoigu

President Sheikh Mohamed meets Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the Security Council of Russia at Al Shati Palace. Photo: UAE Presidential Court ---

President Sheikh Mohamed on Tuesday held talks in Abu Dhabi with Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia's Security Council.

The meeting at Al Shati Palace comes after Sheikh Mohamed's official visit to Russia earlier this month, in which he met President Vladimir Putin and represented the UAE at the Brics summit in Kazan.

Mr Shoigu, who previously served as minister of defence from 2012 until May this year, conveyed the greetings of Mr Putin and his commitment to developing UAE-Russia relations. Sheikh Mohamed returned similar sentiments.

The two men also exchanged views on several regional and international issues of mutual concern, state news agency Wam reported.

The UAE is Russia’s largest Gulf trading partner, accounting for 55 per cent of total Russian-Gulf trade.

Trade between the countries continues to grow, reaching about $10 billion, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last September.

The meeting was attended by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Zayed, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs, Ali Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council, and Dr Mohammed Al Jaber, UAE ambassador to the Russian Federation.

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