Mohamed Bin Zayed among top leaders who changed the world in 2020
- 05 Dec 2020
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, is on Bloomberg's list of the 50 most prominent people who changed the world during 2020 and whose achievements deserve appreciation and praise.
Bloomberg described Sheikh Mohamed as the peacemaker in the Middle East, after he revolutionized the geopolitics by announcing the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel for the first time in the region, after the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty, 26 years ago.
Bloomberg's list includes personalities including US elected President Joe Biden, current US President Donald Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel Masayoshi Sun, CEO of SoftBank, and others.
Bloomberg clarified that the peace treaty between the UAE and Israel, led by Sheikh Mohamed, is the most important diplomatic breakthrough during the past decades, noting that Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed pursued a firm foreign policy and paid great attention to economic and investment activity.
Bloomberg also added that the Emirati agreement with Israel made Sheikh Mohamed a more influential figure in the Middle East region, as Bahrain and Sudan followed in the UAE steps.
The treaty between the UAE and Israel is expected to lead to a bilateral trade agreement worth $2 billion annually, eventually reaching $6.5 billion.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has announced the activation of tourist entry visas through airlines and travel and tourism offices for Israeli passport holders until procedures for the constitutional ratification of the mutual visa waiver agreement between the two states are completed.
The move falls within bilateral cooperation between the UAE and the State of Israel following the signing of the Abraham Accords and aims to facilitate travel to the UAE for the time being.
The Abraham Accords include travel procedures for Emirati and Israeli citizens that are expected to enter into force shortly.
The UAE Cabinet, on the Nov.1, 2020, ratified the agreement between the UAE and the State of Israel regarding the mutual exemption from entry visa requirements.