His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, confirmed that the historical relations between the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom are developing positively in all fields, praising the visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Britain to the Emirates in 2010. This came during an official visit launched by His Highness the President, yesterday, to the United Kingdom, in response to an invitation from Queen Elizabeth, which will last for two days.
His Highness the President is accompanied by a high-level official delegation, which includes His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Head of the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister Foreign Affairs, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and CEO of the Emirates Airlines Group, and Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Development. And International Cooperation, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, Deputy Minister of Presidential Affairs Ahmed Juma Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Khaldoun Khalifa Al Mubarak, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Issa Saif Mohammed Al Mazrouei. And the UAE Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Abdul Rahman Ghanem Al Mutaiwee.
The official visit ceremony began with the arrival of His Royal Highness, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, to Park Gate House in Richmond, the residence of His Highness the Head of State, and members of the British delegation accompanying His Highness were presented to him.
Then the convoy of His Highness the Head of State, accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York, moved to Windsor Palace, where members of the Palace Knights Battalion from the accompanying Honor Guard lined up with two Royal Music bands on foot and on horseback, in addition to the Royal Guard Music Band.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh received His Highness the Head of State upon the arrival of His Highness’s convoy to the Royal Platform on Datchet Road, where the Royal Cavalry Artillery fired salutes for His Highness’s arrival from within the Royal Gardens and from the Tower of London area.
Then Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth presented to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan senior British officials, who were receiving His Highness. After that, the accompanying honor guard gave the royal salute and played the national anthem of the United Arab Emirates.
Then the head of the cavalry unit accompanied His Highness, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh to the horse-drawn royal carriage to move to Windsor Palace, while the musical band played the national anthems of the UAE and the United Kingdom.
The convoy of His Highness the Head of State and Her Majesty the Queen of Britain moved through the areas of Datchet Road, Thames Street, High Street, Park Street, Cambridge Gate, George IV Gate, and the Quadrangle in Windsor Palace, where the 1st Royal Infantry Honor Guard Battalion, the Nijmegen Band, and the Quadrangle at Windsor Palace were lined up on the edges of the procession. F of the Scots Guards from Datchet Road to Park Street Gate.
An official reception ceremony was held for His Highness the President of the State at Windsor Palace, where a guard of honor consisting of the 1st Welsh Guards Battalion lined up with the Royal Flag Bearers, the Drum Battalion, and the Regime Band in the Quadrangle area.
Upon the arrival of the procession, the honor guard performed the royal salute, and music played the national anthems of the UAE and the United Kingdom.
Then His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh got out of their carriage and headed to the podium, where the royal salute was performed and the UAE’s national anthem was played. Then the Guard Commander presented the guard members to His Highness the President, where he reviewed His Highness was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh’s guard of honour.
At the end of the parade, His Highness, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, joined Queen Elizabeth on the podium, where the Royal Artillery Cavalry troops marched in front of the podium, and the accompanying cavalry band formed a column in front of it.
At the end of the parade and the queue, the procession of His Highness the Head of State, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh moved towards the main entrance of the palace, then His Highness the Head of State and Her Majesty the Queen of Britain moved to the upper floor towards the long corridor, and the British officials were presented to His Highness. At the end of the ceremony, memorial photos were taken in the long corridor of Windsor Palace, and then Her Majesty the Queen accompanied His Highness the Head of State to the Lancaster Pavilion, where His Highness spent a short break.
In addition, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, attended a luncheon held in honor of His Highness by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, yesterday afternoon, at Windsor Palace.
The lunch ceremony began with the arrival of the Chief of Staff of the Royal Palace to escort His Highness the President from the Lancaster Suite and accompany him to the Oak Room, where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by members of the royal family, accompanied His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President State, to the main reception hall.
His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, in a speech during the luncheon, expressed his pleasure at the warm welcome he and the delegation accompanying His Highness received on this visit, thanking the Queen for her kind invitation to visit the United Kingdom. His Highness said, “The historical relations that bring us together are developing positively in all fields, and I particularly value your Majesty’s visit to the UAE in 2010, which left a good impact on us.”
His Highness added, “During the coming period, we will seek to develop relations between the UAE and the United Kingdom in all fields, in a way that achieves the interests of the two peoples and the two friendly countries, and this visit of mine is a documentation of our friendship that extends over the years.”
At the conclusion of his speech, His Highness expressed his pleasure at visiting the United Kingdom, and his confidence in the future of relations between the two countries, wishing Her Majesty the Queen good health, and the people of the United Kingdom further well-being.
For her part, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain welcomed His Highness the Head of State, at Windsor Castle, to celebrate his state visit to the United Kingdom. She said, “Our two countries are linked by friendly relations dating back to before the founding of the UAE in 1971, under the guidance and wise leadership of your father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.”
She added, “Prince Philip and I remember with great fondness our visit to the UAE in 1979, and our last visit at the kind invitation of Your Highness in 2010. We were impressed by the Emirati customs and traditions, which are characterized by warmth and hospitality.”
Her Majesty stressed that the current visit of His Highness the President of the State to Britain provides an opportunity to celebrate the depth of the existing partnership between our two countries, a partnership that is growing and stronger with the passage of time.
She said, “The friendship treaty signed between us in 1971 stipulated that the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom would consult in order to strengthen and encourage cooperation in the educational, scientific, and cultural fields, and to develop close commercial relations between them. This matter is evident more than ever before, and I am very pleased with how it has developed.” Our relations are under the supervision of the British-Emirati working team, and I look forward to deepening and consolidating these ties, as we work to develop the British strategic partnership for the next generation.”
She went on to say, “Cooperation between our two countries now ranges from thriving educational and tourism ties to joint projects in the defense field, cooperation in security issues, foreign policy, and mutual investments between the economies of our two countries.” Emphasizing that the United Arab Emirates is one of Britain’s largest trading partners in the Gulf region, she continued, “We have welcomed Emirati investments in many areas in the United Kingdom, from building the largest port in the United Kingdom to the wonderful Emirates Skyline project for cable cars over the River Thames, in addition to the Manchester City Club.” ».
She stressed that the friendship between the UAE and the United Kingdom derives its strength from the relations between our governments and our peoples, and is based on a shared sense of ambition. Her Majesty said, “I hope, Your Highness, that one of the results of this state visit will be that our two peoples will continue to build on these successful foundations, and continue working with each other to build a more generous and secure future.”
The luncheon included a performance by the string orchestra of the Royal Artillery Music Band, and the exchange of souvenirs.
Then an official farewell ceremony took place for His Highness the President, as His Highness left Windsor Palace to his residence at Park Gate House Richmond.
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