Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, spoke by phone with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Sullivan discussed ways of bolstering friendship and co-operation ties between the UAE and US in order to serve their mutual interests and maintain security and stability in the region, the Emirates News Agency reported.
Mr Sullivan expressed “appreciation for the United Arab Emirates’ work to promote a ceasefire and political solution” to the conflict, White House spokeswoman Emily Horne said in a statement.
She said: “Mr Sullivan and Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed discussed the urgency to provide life-saving assistance to populations in Tigray suffering from famine and acute food insecurity.”
Ethiopia declared a unilateral truce and withdrew its forces from Tigray earlier this week after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front took control of Mekelle, the region’s capital.
Eritrean forces allied with Addis Ababa remain in Tigray, and US officials have threatened to place sanctions on Eritrea if it does not withdraw its troops from the region as it pledged to do earlier this year.
