Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, met senior Russian officials in Moscow on Monday. Sheikh Abdullah held talks with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and Yury Borisov, the Deputy Prime Minister. They discussed bilateral relations and strategic partnerships between the UAE and Russia. They spoke of enhancing co-operation between the two countries in various fields and addressed the latest regional developments and international issues of common interest. Sheikh Abdullah highlighted the strong relations between the countries and said the UAE looked forward to developing a stronger relationship with Russia. "I am grateful for my meeting with you and the kind words about my country," he said. "In the UAE, we are proud to have comprehensive strategic relations with the Russia. “During the pandemic, we realised that our relations with Russia will witness significant development in the coming years. "Next year, we shall host the Expo 2020 Dubai, which was postponed, and I am confident that the presence of Russia will be an outstanding one.” Sheikh Abdullah also spoke of the Phase-3 clinical trials of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V. "We believe that it will be an opportunity for the international community to deliver many doses of vaccines in a short time," he said. "And we are looking forward to a more efficient world, which will be better prepared to address such challenges." The fruitful collaboration between the two countries now includes space exploration, as Russian expertise helped astronaut Maj Hazza Al Mansouri to become the first Emirati to go into space. Maj Al Mansouri spent eight days on the International Space Station with the help of Russia's space agency, Roscosmos. The UAE and Russia also collaborate on defence matters including counter-terrorism. Three years ago, the two countries announced the start of a joint initiative to develop fifth-generation fighter aircraft. In 2019, both countries signed a declaration on strategic political, security, economic and cultural initiatives.
