ABU DHABI — US Vice President
Kamala Harris was on Monday leading a high-level delegation to meet the UAE’s
new president, who takes over after his half-brother's death, following months
of strained ties between Washington and the oil-rich Gulf state.
اضافة اعلان
Harris, whose team includes
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and CIA chief William
Burns, is heading the strongest delegation to visit UAE since President Joe
Biden took office last year.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan or "MBZ"
was chosen as president on Saturday, a day after the death of his long-ailing
half-brother, former leader Sheikh Khalifa.
Harris congratulated Sheikh Mohamed on his
election as UAE president, the office of the vice president said in a
statement.
"She underscored the strength of the US’
partnership with the UAE and the
Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to
deepening ties to advance the interests of the American and Emirati
people," it said.
"The Vice President noted that she is
looking forward to the future of the relationship under Sheikh Mohamed's
leadership, and that our friendship and partnership is enduring."
World leaders have flocked to Abu Dhabi to
pay their respects, demonstrating the rising prominence of the major oil
exporter after the decline of some of the Middle East's traditional powers.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman was in Abu Dhabi to offer his condolences, while Britain's
Prince William also flew in.
The high-level
US visit appears intended to
repair a relationship that has deteriorated since Biden replaced Donald Trump
in the White House in January 2021.
"We were here to discuss the strength
of that partnership and that friendship and our commitment, going forward, to
continue to work at the strength of that relationship," said Harris.
Ties have soured over issues including
Abu Dhabi's refusal to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Washington's
reopening of nuclear talks with Iran, long accused by Gulf states of creating
regional chaos.
Yousef Al-Otaiba, the Emirati ambassador to
the US, admitted in March that relations were going through a "stress test".
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