Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, held talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed ways to enhance co-operation between the nations across various sectors, building on the strong relations between the countries, state news agency Wam reported.
Sheikh Abdullah spoke of the UAE’s commitment to building bridges of co-operation and partnership with all friendly countries, to promote prosperity, sustainable development and quality of life for all.
Mr Dissanayake highlighted the depth of the relationship between the two countries and praised the UAE’s prominent regional and international standing. Sheikh Abdullah also met with Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath during which they discussed a number of regional and international issues of common interest.
Sheikh Abdullah's visit to Sri Lanka took place a day after he met Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad.
Their discussions centred on efforts to boost "co-operation across a wide range of sectors, including economy, trade, investment and development, aimed at advancing mutual interests and promoting shared prosperity for their peoples", Wam reported.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
