Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed welcomes Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince to the UAE

Prince Mohammed reaches Abu Dhabi for a two-day official trip

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is welcomed by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, in the UAE capital. All photos: Ministry of Presidential Affairs.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed welcomes Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Presidential Airport.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Prince Mohammed bin Salman stand for the national anthem during an official reception at Qasr Al Watan.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Prince Mohammed bin Salman inspect a UAE Armed Forces Honour Guard.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed hosts an official reception for Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Qasr Al Watan.

At the reception for Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Qasr Al Watan were: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra; Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, National Security Adviser; Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi Executive Council member, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office; Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan; Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad, adviser in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs; Sheikh Nahyan bin Saif, UAE ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoun, director of the Martyrs' Families' Affairs Office of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court; and Sheikh Shakhbut bin Nahyan, Minister of State.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed presents the Order of Zayed medal to Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the official reception at Qasr Al Watan.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed welcomes the Saudi delegation accompanying Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Qasr Al Watan.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Prince Mohammed bin Salman speak at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed hosts the official reception for Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in the UAE on Tuesday as part of his ongoing trip of the GCC member states.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, welcomed the visiting dignitary.

Prince Mohammed arrived at the Presidential Airport in Abu Dhabi in the evening on an official two-day visit to the Emirates.

Sheikh Mohamed and Prince Mohammed later held talks at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, where they discussed ties between their two countries and opportunities to strengthen them.

Sheikh Mohamed spoke about the strong relations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

"Thanks to the efforts of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his brothers the Kings of Saudi Arabia, and the stances of His Highness the President and his brother the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the excellent relations between our countries keep growing stronger as they are founded on fraternity, history, geography and common interests," said Sheikh Mohamed, in a statement released on Wam.

"Saudi Arabia has been, and will always be a key regional player. We are confident that together, we will be able to confront all challenges in the region and to maintain our common interests and the welfare of our peoples," he added.

The pair discussed the importance of boosting joint GCC and Arab action, as well as regional and international issues of interest.

They also spoke about the need to strengthen regional stability, a key pillar for development and progress, according to the statement.

Sheikh Mohamed hosted a dinner banquet in honour of Prince Mohammed and his delegation at the palace.

The Saudi crown prince spent the previous 24 hours in Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham.

Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by a high-level entourage of top officials to welcome Prince Mohammed to the UAE.

Prince Mohammed is currently on a tour of the five members of the Gulf Co-operation Council – Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.

It will be his first visit to Qatar since the AlUla summit in January ended a rift in the GCC and re-established ties between Doha and Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.

State media in Saudi Arabia said the tour would be focused on ways to enhance co-ordination between GCC states and measures to strengthen the work of the regional body before the leaders’ summit in mid-December.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Oman - in pictures