Hend Al Otaiba presents her credentials to French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Photo: @UAEEmbassyParis
Hend Al Otaiba presents her credentials to French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Photo: @UAEEmbassyParis
Hend Al Otaiba presents her credentials to French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Photo: @UAEEmbassyParis
Hend Al Otaiba presents her credentials to French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Photo: @UAEEmbassyParis

UAE ambassador to France Hend Al Otaiba presents credentials in Paris


Georgia Tolley
  • English
  • Arabic

Hend Al Otaiba, the UAE's ambassador to France, on Thursday presented her credentials to French President Emmanuel Macron.

The ceremony took place at the Elysee Palace in the French capital of Paris.

A fluent French speaker and a strategic communications expert, Ms Al Otaiba has spent her career promoting the UAE to the wider world through arts and culture as well as through public relations and diplomacy.

In her most recent role, she created and led the first strategic communications department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation.

The department is responsible for promoting the country’s foreign policies and interests through both the international media and the UAE's diplomatic missions.

Before that, Ms Al Otaiba worked as director of communications at Abu Dhabi Media and also alongside Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, as an adviser on issues of international diplomacy until 2019.

As the UAE envoy to France, Ms Al Otaiba joins a select group of senior Emirati women diplomats, including Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s first woman permanent representative to the UN, and Reem Al Hashimy, director general of the Expo and Minister of State for International Co-operation.

More than half of the staff at the foreign ministry and 40 per cent of UAE diplomats are women, an achievement acknowledged by the UN in its 2021 Women in Diplomacy Index, which praised the UAE for the progress it has made in advancing women's participation in diplomacy.

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Always use only regulated platforms

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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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
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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

if you go

The flights

Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav. 

The tour

While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).

 

UAE tour of the Netherlands

UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match

Updated: November 04, 2021, 6:14 PM`