Mohammed bin Zayed Receives French President

The UAE and France affirmed their sincere desire to take their joint cooperation to new heights, building on the depth of bilateral bonds in service of interests of the two friendly countries and their peoples. The two countries made this commitment during talks between His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the visiting French President, Francois Hollande.

Welcoming the French President in the presence of UAE Foreign Minister HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohammed said that Hollande's visit added a new block to the strong structure of friendly relations between the UAE and France and represented an important addition, to raise those relations to a strategic level. The talks took stock of the latest regional and international developments and the policies of both countries towards them. Sheikh Mohammed and President Hollande also tackled topics of mutual concern.

Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, head of the honorary mission accompanying the French President and a number of top UAE officials were present. In attendance from the French side were members of the delegation accompanying the French head of state including Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arnaud Montebourg, Minister of Productive Recovery, and Delphine Batho, Minister of Ecology and Energy.