Korea-UAE Ties Evolve into Strategic Partnership

Crown Prince visits Seoul May 25-28

Crown Prince H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates will make an official visit to Korea from May 25-28 at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak.
President Lee will meet and have dinner with the crown prince, who is concurrently Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on May 25. The two are expected to exchange views on major issues of mutual concern ranging from Korea’s construction of nuclear power units in the UAE and economic cooperation to energy and investments.
The crown prince will not only meet with Korean ranking officials, but he is to visit major industrial facilities, including the Shin Kori Nuclear Power Units 3&4 construction site.
Korea and the UAE have seen their relations evolve into a strategic partnership following Lee’s state visit to the UAE last December and the signing of a contract with a Korean consortium, led by Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), to build nuclear power units in the Middle Eastern country. The crown prince’s upcoming visit is expected to further cement relations between the two countries on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, Cheong Wa Dae said.
Al Nahyan is the chairman of the Executive Council. He holds a wide range of policy, legislative and economic positions in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. The crown prince of Abu Dhabi since November 2004, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the UAE Armed Forces in January 2005.
Since December 2004, he has served as the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. Under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, the Executive Council, the Emirate’s key policy-making body, oversees the development and implementation of strategic social and economic policies for the benefit of Abu Dhabi.
Al Nahyan is an active member of the Supreme Petroleum Council, which is responsible for all oil and energy policy matters in the UAE. He is chairman of the Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development, which plays major roles in economic planning for the Emirate and is President of the Abu Dhabi Education Council. He is also president of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research.
Al Nahyan is chairman of Mubadala Development Co. a wholly-owned, principal investment vehicle of the Abu Dhabi Government. He was appointed chief-of-staff of the UAE Armed Forces in 1993, and has since held a range of senior positions in a distinguished military career.
Al Nahyan is a highly recognized international figure. He received numerous orders and medals from the UAE, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Qatar, the Kingdom of Morocco, Pakistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Italy.
His Highness completed his formal education in the UAE and England and graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1979.
In a related development, Korean Minister of Strategy and Finance Yoon Jeung-hyun and his UAE counterpart Sultan Al Mansouri presided over the second meeting of the Committee of Korea-UAE for Economic Cooperation at the Shilla Hotel on May 12.
The ministers, accompanied by senior economic officials and experts from the two countries, discussed a wide range of topics, including Korean doctors’ provision of medical services in the UAE.
At the meeting, Korea and the UAE agreed to cooperate in public health and medical service fields as well as construction and trade areas. In this regard, the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare singed an MOU on joint technology research, the training of medical staff and the expansion of bilateral medical exchanges with the UAE. nw

(below, right) Crown Prince H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates. The crown prince will make an official trip of Korea on May 25-29 at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak. File photos show that President Lee talks with the crown prince during Lee’s previous trip to the UAE.

A view of the construction site of Shin Kori Nuclear Power Units 3&4.