Mohamed bin Zayed holds talks with Russian President

His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the U.A.E. Armed Forces, on Thursday held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ways to enhance cooperation and friendship and also discussed the latest regional and international developments of mutual concern.
The Russian President, who welcomed Sheikh Mohamed in the Black Sea city of Sochi, said he was pleased to meet HH again to discuss with him avenues of joint cooperation in various fields.
'I'm extremely glad to meet you today. The U.A.E.-Russia ties were progressing steadily in political and economic spheres. Over the last four years, the bilateral trade exchange continued to grow rapidly and I'm confident that investment cooperation between funds and investment authorities will also see remarkable progress, ' President Putin said.
'I welcome you again to discuss the difficult and worrying situation in the Middle East and other topics of concern to our countries,' he added.
Sheikh Mohamed said, 'I'm delighted at meeting Your Excellency and to be here in this beautiful city. I thank you for giving me the chance to speak with you. No doubt, Russia can play a significant role in the Middle East.' 'No doubt, our ties are special and we have tremendous scope for more joint cooperation and for strengthening these ties,' he added.
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi conveyed the greetings of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the Russian President and his wishes for progress and prosperity for the friendly Russian people.
During the meeting, attended by H.H. Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the National Security Advisor, and H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohamed said that the U.A.E., led by President Khalifa, was interested in building a promising future and seeks stronger relations in political, economic, investment, trade, energy and other areas.
He stated that the fourth meeting of the U.A.E.-Russia joint ministerial committee, held in the Russian capital, Moscow, recently underscored the sincere desire of the leaderships in both the countries to boost and diversify the scope of cooperation to serve mutual interest.
President Putin asked Sheikh Mohamed to convey his best wishes for President Khalifa and the people of the U.A.E.
The two sides exchanged view on the latest regional and international events and the two countries' stances towards combating terrorism in all forms, its manifestations and organisations supporting it. They also emphasised the importance of preserving international security and peace and safeguarding the stability and peace in the region.
The Russian President hosted a lunch banquet in honour of Sheikh Mohamed and his accompanying delegation.
Source: WAM