Jeddah: US President Joe Biden on Saturday invited UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to visit the United States.
“Challenges you face today only make it a heck of a lot more important we spend time together. I want to formally invite you to the States,” Biden said after the two men met on the sidelines of a gathering of Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia.
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Jeddah on Saturday to participate in Jeddah Security and Development Summit.
Upon his arrival at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Sheikh Mohamed was received by Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by a delegation comprising Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser; Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; and Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of State.
Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President; Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority; Yousef Manea Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States; Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Political Affairs and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN; Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Adviser at the Ministry of Presidential Court, and Sheikh Nahyan bin Saif bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, UAE Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, were also present.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden began his final day in Saudi Arabia by meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi, who survived an assassination attempt with explosive drones last year.
Some in the country have blamed the attack Iranian-backed factions. It came amid soaring tensions and a stand-off between Iraqi security forces and pro-Iran Shiite militias over election results.
Biden said he wanted to support Iraq’s democracy.
“I want the press and you to know we want to be (as) helpful as we can in doing that,’’ he said.
Al Kadhimi spoke about the “strategic, friendly relationship’’ between the US and Iraq, and he thanked the US for providing support to combat terrorist groups.
An estimated 2,500 US troops remain in Iraq to support the country’s fight against Daesh (Islamic State).
At the summit, Biden will discuss regional missile and defence capabilities, where he will be seeking to integrate Israel, said a senior administration official.
“We believe there’s great value in including as many of the capabilities in this region as possible and certainly Israel has significant air and missile defence capabilities, as they need to. But we’re having these discussion bilaterally with these nations,” the administration official told reporters.
-- With inputs from Agencies
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