The UK's Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, and H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. It was Mr Lammy's first official visit to the UAE since being appointed Foreign Secretary in July.
They discussed the latest developments in the region and agreed on the importance of de-escalation. They also spoke about ways to build on the deep historic ties shared between the UK and the UAE and how "to develop a forward-looking partnership, including strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties, co-operation on clean energy and artificial intelligence, and close co-ordination on regional security and humanitarian issues", a joint statement said.
The joint statement in full:
"His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, received the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon David Lammy MP, who conducted his first official visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday (5 September).
The Foreign Secretary and His Highness discussed the UK-UAE relationship, and how to build on deep historic ties to develop a forward-looking partnership, including strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties, cooperation on clean energy and artificial intelligence, and close coordination on regional security and humanitarian issues. The Ministers discussed the wider regional situation and agreed on the importance of de-escalation. His Highness Sheikh Abdullah and the Foreign Secretary looked forward to staying in close contact."