Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Prince Charles attend inauguration of UK-UAE Year of Culture as Sheikh Nahyan praises 'Special Friendship'

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, have attended the launch of the UK-UAE Year of Culture 2017 at the historic Al Jahili Fort in the UAE's inland oasis-city of Al Ain. In attendance were H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region, H.H. Sheikh Saif bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, H.H. Sheikh Omar bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council, and a number of Sheikhs, ministers and senior officials along with the delegation accompanying Prince Charles. Sheikh Mohamed accompanied the Prince of Wales and HRH the Duchess of Cornwall on a tour of a photo exhibition that chronicles decades of the British-Emirati relations. They also stopped at an exhibition displaying 26 of the winning works of Al Burda International Calligraphy Competition, organised annually by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development. Afterwards, Sheikh Mohamed welcomed the royal guests to a Majlis set in the middle of Jahili Fort, in the presence of Sheikhs and dignitaries. Sheikh Mohamed and Prince Charles engaged in cordial talks about the deep-rooted relations between the UAE and the United Kingdom and the importance of broadening cooperation in the different fields. In a speech inaugurating the joint cultural event, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, said, "Tonight we are gathered to inaugurate "UK/UAE 2017: A Year of Creative Collaboration Between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates." "I am honoured," he said, "to welcome and thank the joint patrons of UK/UAE 2017, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Their support signals the grand importance of the collaboration." "This impressive Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain itself," he continued, "testifies to a vibrant tradition of collaboration between the venerable UK and the Emirates that united into an independent nation just forty-five years ago. Constructed in the 1890s as a summer retreat for Sheikh Zayed the First, the Al Jahili Fort in the 1950s became a primary base for the Trucial Oman Scouts, a local paramilitary force organised and led by British officers. The Trucial Scouts earned the respect of the population as they settled disputes and protected borders. The British-led Scouts were the base upon which the UAE built its own armed forces." Sheikh Nahyan went on to note that, "Beyond Al Jahili Fort, our country overflows with even more evidence of creative collaboration with the United Kingdom. An invaluable population of UK residents is contributing its knowledge, skills, industry, and good will to the benefit of the UAE. It is said that friends share all things. As friends, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates have shared many things, much to our mutual advantage." "Most prominent in my mind," he added, "are the values that we have shared - a devotion to our own cultures and a deep respect for and appreciation of other cultures, ethnicities, languages, religions, and beliefs. We have shared the desire for global peace and the safety, prosperity, and well-being of our communities. We have shared the joys of civilisation." "And now we will share the bounty of UK/UAE 2017 as it highlights the next generation, community, and inclusion, matters of great concern to us all. The UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, with the guidance of the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, will directly support the programme across the Emirates, in conjunction with the British Council, an admirable organisation that has long strengthened the UK-UAE relationship." The Minister went on to praise the work of The British Council in the UAE for its contributions to cultural understanding between the two countries. "The British Council," he said, "much in the spirit of Britain's great explorer, Sir Wilfred Thesiger, who is lovingly memorialised here at Al Jahili Fort, has exhibited a passionate Thesiger-like fondness for the artistic, social, and environmental aspects of our culture and has at the same time enabled our appreciation of British culture." The visit by HRH the Prince of Wales and HRH the Duchess of Cornwall, he added, "declares, and we agree, that Great Britain and the United Arab Emirates have worked well together in practically every field of endeavour and that cooperation among us is essential for shaping a peaceful and prosperous global future. We are greatly honoured by your visit," he added. The patronage of UK/UAE 2017 by HRH the Prince of Wales and H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was "extraordinary," Sheikh Nahyan said. "It symbolises the lasting and productive collaboration between our two countries - as we approach the bicentenary of the first formal treaty between the forebears of these distinguished patrons, and as we look forward to achieving even more together over the decades and centuries ahead." "Long live our special friendship," he concluded. Following the event, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan hosted an official dinner banquet in honour of HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and HRH the Duchess of Cornwall. – Emirates News Agency, WAM - http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395302784155.html