US Secretary of State to visit UAE on first overseas trip

Newly appointed US Secretary of State, John Kerry will visit the UAE as part of his first official overseas tour.

ABU DHABI // US Secretary of State John Kerry will be visiting the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar as part of his first official visit to the Middle East and Europe.

According to State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland, the newly appointed US Secretary will travel to nine countries from February 24 to March 6.

Mr Kerry will arrive in Abu Dhabi after attending the GCC ministerial meeting and having discussions with Saudi Arabia's leaders in Riyadh on cooperation on a broad range of shared concerns.

During his visit to Abu Dhabi, Mr Kerry is expected to meet senior UAE officials and discuss continued close coordination on issues such as the ongoing crisis in Syria, Afghanistan, and the Middle East peace process.

The US Secretary will conclude his trip in Doha, where he will meet with Qatari leadership to discuss bilateral and regional issues.

His tour will begin in the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, France and Italy.

Mr Kerry will then travel to Ankara, Turkey, where he will meet with Turkish officials to discuss strategic priorities - from ending the crisis in Syria to promoting regional stability, peace, and security - as well as explore areas to deepen US-Turkey bilateral cooperation, including counterterrorism cooperation.

In Cairo, Mr Kerry will meet with senior Egyptian officials and the business community to encourage greater political consensus and economic reforms. While in Cairo, he will also meet the Arab League Secretary General Al-Araby to consult on shared challenges across the region.