The visit of the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the United States, which starts tomorrow, is expected to raise relations between the two countries to an even higher level with a focus on the economy and technology, writes the Emirati newspaper “National”, quoted by BTA.
US President Joe Biden will host Bin Zayed at the White House on Monday. The two will discuss a number of topics - from the conflicts in the Gaza Strip and Sudan to the responsible development of artificial intelligence. The UAE President will also have a separate meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Regional issues are of great importance to both Abu Dhabi and Washington, but the visit will focus on bilateral relations and their development over the next ten years, Anwar Gargash, who is a foreign policy adviser to the Emirati president, told journalists. In his words, “sometimes people prefer to talk about the tensions in the relationship, but the big theme is that this is our most important strategic partnership, regardless of the circumstances.”
Sheikh Mohammed has met with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and visited the US several times, but this is his first official visit as president and the first visit by a sitting UAE president to Washington.
Relations between the US and the UAE are no longer just about “oil and defense”, as it was a few decades ago, Gargash notes. Today, it is a “360-degree relationship,”, he adds, citing the presence of nearly 60,000 Americans living in the UAE, $50 billion in bilateral trade and 142 flights a week between the two countries. Investments in technology, such as the deal between “G 42” (G42) and “Microsoft” (Microsoft), shows the tangible progress in the relationship, points out Gargash.
The president of the UAE will visit the White House against the background of increasing discontent over the development of the situation in the Gaza Strip, writes in "Al Monitor". Abu Dhabi normalized its relations with Israel in 2020 with the signing of the “Abraham Accords”. However, relations with the current Israeli government have deteriorated because of the war in the enclave.
Last week, Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan wrote on the social network “X” (X) that “The UAE is not ready to support even a day after the war in Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state.” The post, which was viewed more than 1.8 million times, was a strong statement designed to reach a wider audience, with more impact than an official statement, told the “Al Monitor” retired political science professor Abdulkhalek Abdullah. “I think it is an expression of irritation from both the Israelis and the Americans. They talk too much but don't follow through,” he adds.
According to Afshin Molavi from the Institute of Foreign Policy at the University “Johns Hopkins” Sheikh Abdullah's recent statements show no change in thinking. “The UAE probably does not want to be in the position of being involved in post-conflict reconstruction if there is no viable, internationally recognized Palestinian state,” the expert thinks. “If such a state does not exist, the possibility of future conflicts remains, regardless of the extent of recovery,” adds Molavi.
Given various occasions of tension between the US and the UAE during the current US administration, President Joe Biden's decision to welcome Mohammed bin Zayed to the Oval Office signals his desire to strengthen the partnership and cement areas of cooperation and mutually beneficial relations. writes Simon Henderson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on the eve of the visit.
The seven-emirate federal state has become a global player in recent years thanks to its vast oil wealth and Sheikh Mohammed's leadership style, the author points out. This is remarkable considering that the country gained independence only five decades ago and has a population of just ten million people, of whom about 90 percent are foreign workers.
The questions Washington will ask are easy to predict, notes Henderson. The administration wants Abu Dhabi to reaffirm its technological disengagement from China, provide more assurances that it protects American defense know-how and support plans for Gaza after the conflict ends.
The United States is increasingly concerned that the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries are becoming a conduit for advanced American artificial intelligence technology to China, amid concerns that Beijing could use it for military purposes.
Last year, the US administration imposed restrictions on the export of artificial intelligence chips to reduce the possibility of China acquiring them. The investment of “Microsoft” A $1.5 billion investment in the UAE-based company G42, announced in April, has heightened concerns among some members of the US Congress that these controls are not enough.
Bin Zayed, for his part, is likely to seek deeper guarantees for the emirates' regional security, as well as continued pressure on Israel to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza and to provide humanitarian aid, Henderson believes.