History is to be made when President Sheikh Mohamed is received at the White House by US President Joe Biden.
Monday's visit will be the first time Sheikh Mohamed has visited Washington as President. It will also mark the first meeting of UAE and US presidents on American soil since the Emirates was founded.
Relations between American presidents and UAE leaders go back decades. In 2008, Sheikh Mohamed, who was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi at the time, hosted George W Bush when the US leader travelled to the country to meet former UAE President, the late Sheikh Khalifa, in Abu Dhabi. The occasion was the first official visit to the Emirates by a sitting American president.
Five months later, Sheikh Mohamed held talks with Mr Bush at Camp David. Sheikh Mohamed, as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, was also received in Washington by presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
Sheikh Mohamed also met Mr Biden at a summit in Jeddah two months after becoming President of the UAE in May 2022. They also held talks at the G20 summit in New Delhi in 2023.
Landmark visit
But the significance of the first official visit to Washington by a UAE President cannot be understated. It comes at a time of great tension and instability around the world, not least in the Middle East, with the UAE and US not always seeing the way forward from the same perspective.
That does not mean there is a deep divide between the countries, but they differ in some policy areas. The UAE and US “work together to promote regional security, create economic prosperity and address pressing global challenges”, the UAE embassy in Washington says on its website.
The US State Department, meanwhile, says the UAE holds “an influential role in the Middle East and is a key partner for the United States. The United States and the UAE enjoy strong bilateral co-operation on a full range of issues”.
Diplomatic pleasantries aside, the record book underlines the importance of Monday’s meeting. The Office of the Historian at the US Department of State publishes meticulous records of overseas visits by American leaders going back to 1901. It shows US Presidents have received more than 190 world leaders since 1874 – the UAE excepted.
Longstanding friendship
While the US was among the first countries to recognise the UAE after it was founded in December 1971, the inaugural recorded meeting between a senior US official and a UAE president in the Emirates came in 1990, on the eve of the First Gulf War. James Baker, secretary of state under president George HW Bush, held talks with UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Sheikh Zayed was already familiar with the US and its leaders, of course. His first visit to the country was in 1957, accompanying his brother, Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan, who was having medical treatment in New York. In 1999, Sheikh Zayed travelled to Cleveland, Ohio, and received Richard Clarke, a veteran adviser to US presidents and strong supporter of the UAE.
Sheikh Zayed met former US president Jimmy Carter in Abu Dhabi in 1990. Mr Carter was on a mission to eradicate Guinea worm disease from Africa and the support he received from Sheikh Zayed continues to have an effect today.
In 1998, Sheikh Khalifa, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi at the time, visited Washington for talks with president Bill Clinton, with an agreement struck for the UAE to receive 80 F-16 fighter jets.
US records show there were no visits by a US secretary of state to the UAE between 1991 and 2006. But since then those holding the office have travelled to Abu Dhabi 18 times, under four different US presidents. Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Mike Pompeo and the current Secretary of State Antony Blinken have also made trips to the UAE.
Mr Kerry served as secretary of state during the Obama presidency, a period of tension between the US and the Gulf. Mr Obama’s “pivot” away from the Middle East towards China and his decision to finalise the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 without consulting Gulf states were poorly received in the region.
Relations warmed during the Trump administration, with the Abraham Accords signed in Washington in 2020. But the staunch support of the US towards Israel as the Gaza war rages has once again tested relations between America and the region.
But the depth of the ties between the UAE and US is clear, whether it is the sharing of intelligence, the presence of American military personnel at Al Dhafra Airbase, bilateral trade that now exceeds $30 billion, or the cultural links epitomised by the founding of New York University Abu Dhabi.
What is certain is that, when the countries' leaders meet next week, there will be no shortage of things to talk about.
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
The cost of Covid testing around the world
Egypt
Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists
Information can be found through VFS Global.
Jordan
Dh212
Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.
Cambodia
Dh478
Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.
Zanzibar
AED 295
Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.
Abu Dhabi
Dh85
Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.
UK
From Dh400
Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.
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The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
www.greenheartuae.com
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
www.modibodi.ae
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
www.shopretold.com
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
www.mena.lush.com
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
www.bubble-bro.com
Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
www.instagram.com/coethical
Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
www.eggsnsoldiers.com
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
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