UAE Foreign Minister Meets with US Secretary of State

UAE Foreign Minister H. H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington, DC. During the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah and Secretary Clinton discussed a number of issues of common concern, including the security situation in the Middle East.

The Minister hailed the strong bilateral relations between the UAE and US, and noted that the two countries share growing economic, trade and cultural interests. The meeting was attended by UAE Ambassador to US Yousef Al Otaiba, who described UAE as a strong and reliable ally for peace with the United States.

"This deep alliance, which is vital to both of our countries, has never been stronger", said Al Otaiba. He added that as allies and friends, the UAE and the US share a common interest to preserve security and stability in the region, and to broadly confront extremism and terrorism. On the trade front, the UAE is currently the US' largest export market in the Middle East, importing more than $11 billion worth of goods from the US in 2010, noted the ambassador.