UAE, East Timor leaders discuss relations

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday received José Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, who is on a working visit to the UAE at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi.

During the meeting, His Highness the President extended a warm welcome to President Ramos-Horta, expressing his wishes for a successful visit aimed at advancing relations between the two nations.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and Ramos-Horta discussed cooperation in various sectors, especially across economy, trade, and investment, in addition to sustainability and climate action. Both sides expressed their keen interest in accelerating the development of bilateral relations and achieving sustainable development and prosperity for their peoples.

The meeting also addressed the significance of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), which the UAE will host later this year. In this regard, they underscored the importance of global climate action and identifying practical solutions to address climate change.

The two sides exchanged views on several regional and international developments of mutual interest. They emphasised the importance of promoting the values of tolerance, coexistence, cooperation, and human fraternity, asserting the need for joint international efforts to ensure peace, stability, and development regionally and globally to pave the way for a brighter future for coming generations.

For his part, President Ramos-Horta expressed his appreciation to His Highness for the warm welcome extended to him and his accompanying delegation. He highlighted his country's interest in benefiting from the UAE's developmental model and its leading experience in economic diversification and noted the many areas of potential cooperation between the two countries.

He also lauded the UAE's efforts in promoting peace, tolerance, and coexistence, pointing out that Timor-Leste adopted the Document on Human Fraternity as a national charter in 2022, which is now part of the educational curriculum in its schools.

The meeting was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region; Sheikh Theyab Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as Chairman of the Office of Development and Martyrs Families Affairs at the Presidential Court; Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State; and the delegation accompanying the President of Timor-Leste including a number of ministers and senior officials.