Harris visits UAE to express condolences following death of the country’s president
A to delegation that includes U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and top military and intelligence officials traveled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the death of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Vice President Kamala Harris met with the new UAE president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and expressed in-person condolences following the death of former president. VP Harris spent about three hours in the Emirati capital heading a delegation that included all of Biden’s top national security aides.
Harris described Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed as “a close friend of the U.S.” and said that she travelled to the Gulf nation “to make clear we will continue to deepen our partnership under UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed’s leadership.”
U.S. President Joe Biden called Sheikh Khalifa “a true partner and friend of the United States throughout his decades-long tenure.”
Biden also congratulated Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the new president in a phone call.
“The United States is determined to honor the memory of the late president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan by continuing to strengthen the strategic partnership between our countries over the coming months and years. The UAE is an essential partner of the United States,” the White House statement said.
U.S. President Joe Biden sent a high-powered delegation to UAE in an apparent bid to repair frayed ties with the oil-producing Gulf Arab allies amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
