Gargash: US is the UAE's 'most important and enduring strategic partner'

Diplomacy, de-escalation and Covid-19 among topics discussed during week-long Washington visit

Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Khalifa, said he held 'fruitful' and 'positive' meetings in the US capital, during a week-long trip to Washington.

Dr Anwar Gargash, who is also the former UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, was the first senior Emirati official to conduct such a visit since Joe Biden assumed the presidency in January.

Dr Anwar Gargash stressed the continuity and strength of US-UAE relations, during his trip to Washington.

Dr Anwar Gargash, during his talks with senior American officials, reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to working with the US on regional matters.

Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Khalifa, has said the US is the UAE’s “most important and enduring strategic partner”.

Dr Gargash’s comments came on the heels of a week-long visit to Washington where he met senior US officials to discuss diplomacy, de-escalation and the coronavirus pandemic.

He described the talks as “fruitful“.

“Meetings in Washington [were] very positive,” Dr Gargash wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

Dr Gargash, the former UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, said the UAE would work with the US as the “constant voice of reason, moderation and engagement” on global affairs.

“The US is one of our most important relationships. It is as close and as strong as it has ever been with the Biden administration,” Dr Gargash said.

“In our 50th year, the UAE’s shared vision and values with the US are well appreciated.”

He reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to working with the US on regional matters. They looked at ways to build upon the Abraham Accord that established ties between the UAE and Israel, in order to bring about “greater regional prosperity and stability”, state news agency Wam reported.

Dr Gargash met members of Congress, National Security Council Co-ordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk and other high-ranking officials.

He met Mr McGurk at the White House, with the meeting also attended by senior US Department of Defence and State Department officials.

Dr Gargash also met deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman to discuss ways the UAE and US can co-operate to resolve regional conflicts and pressing global challenges, including climate change, Covid-19 pandemic and nuclear proliferation.

He also had meetings with senators Bill Hagerty, Todd Young and Jeff Merkley.

Dr Gargash is one of the most senior Emirati officials to conduct such a visit since Joe Biden assumed the presidency in January.

“This UAE-US partnership remains a constant,” Dr Gargash said on Thursday. “It has endured through remarkable change and this visit has only added to my confidence about its future.”

During Dr Gargash's visit, he announced that the UAE's institution for training its next generation of diplomats – recently renamed the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy – has partnered with the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.

The partnership will help to educate a new generation of leaders in international relations.

At the heart of the collaboration will be the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan professorship at Johns Hopkins' Henry A Kissinger Centre for Global Affairs. The professorship will be jointly funded by the two parties.