UAE mission opened at NATO HQ

Brussels, April 14, 2013 (WAM) - Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan opened the headquarters of the UAE mission at the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) in the Belgian capital of Brussels on Friday. Nohammed Ali Al Naqbi, head of the UAE Mission at the NATO, was also present. The UAE is the first Arab and Gulf country to have a mission at the NATO headquarters. Shaikh Abdullah and the delegation accompanying him were received by UN Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow. The opening of the UAE mission reflects the strong relationship between the UAE and NATO, which has developed significantly since the country joined the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative in 2004 with the aim of consolidating stability and peace in the Gulf region. Throughout the years, the UAE has contributed to the alliance’s efforts to provide security and stability in many regions of the world, such as Afghanistan and Libya. In addition, the UAE has played a dynamic humanitarian role, especially in Afghanistan, where it supports international efforts to rebuild that country, in order to ensure a better life for its inhabitants, removed from terrorism and destruction. Similarly, since 2004, the UAE has assisted the NATO in the areas of education, training and practical cooperation. A NATO official told Wam that the opening of such a mission is an important event because the UAE is the first partner from the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) to establish an office at it headquarters. This is indicative of the UAE’s special bilateral relationship with the NATO and its strong commitment to strengthen its cooperation with the alliance. And, most importantly, this decision will permit the NATO to expand its cooperation in the context of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. On what the UAE could contribute to the allaince as a member of the Istanbul Initiative, the official said the country is an active member in that initiative, both at the level of political dialogue as well as practical cooperation. The UAE has closely worked with the NATO for the establishment of stability and security in several regions from Bosnia, to Afghanistan, to Libya, and that its forces cooperated, with great efficiency, with NATO forces on the ground and in the air. The official added that the NATO is grateful to the UAE for its political support and field assistance, as well as the training opportunities it provided for members of the Afghan National Army. – Emirates News Agency, WAM