French President Emmanuel Macron announced a visit to the United Arab Emirates to mourn the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and to demonstrate his support for the ruling family, with which France maintains trade and military ties.
Macron will travel to the UAE on Sunday, his administration said in a statement, to pay tribute to Sheikh Khalifa, who died on Friday, and “show its support to his brother Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and the rest of the family.” express, and the whole Emirean people.”
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Sheikh Khalifa, the President of the United Arab Emirates since 2004, linked the Gulf state more closely with the West. He was cremated and cremated on Friday.
France sees the major oil producer the United Arab Emirates as a strategic partner in the region, and trading ties, including the delivery of military equipment and energy infrastructure, have been strengthened under Macron’s first presidential term.
During a high-profile visit to Dubai in November, Macron displayed good relations with Crown Prince Mohammed, and business delegations from the two kingdoms signed several major deals.
The UAE ordered 80 Rafale fighter jets and 12 military helicopters from Dassault Aviation through a 17 billion euro ($19.20 billion) arms contract that the French say will secure thousands of local jobs.
French energy giants TotalEnergies and Engie also won deals worth billions of euros.
Paris has a permanent military base in the emirate’s capital.
Read more:
World leaders pay tribute to UAE’s Sheikh Khalifa, ‘his legacy will live on’
‘Big loss’: Top US officials mourn UAE’s Sheikh Khalifa
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed: UAE ‘lost its righteous son’ after Sheikh Khalifa’s death
