Prince William visits UAE to deepen trade ties
February 10, 2022, 8:11 am

Prince William visits UAE to deepen trade ties

Prince William and Kate Middleton/Facebook page

The Euronews reported, citing Reuters, Prince William, second in line to the British throne, began on Thursday a visit to the United Arab Emirates at a time when the former British protectorate has faced an unprecedented though mostly foiled string of missile and drone attacks.

Kensington Palace said it was the Duke of Cambridge’s first official visit to the UAE. Six of its emirates ceased being British protectorates 50 years ago when they joined in a federation. The seventh joined in 1972.

The visit, at the request of Britain’s foreign office, comes as it is seeking to deepen trade ties with wealthy Gulf Arab states as part of its post-Brexit strategy.

William will visit the Expo 2020 world fair being hosted by Dubai and also promote his environmental award, The Earthshot Prize, and highlight the United for Wildlife campaign which counters the illegal wildlife trade.

Expo 2020 world fair in Dubai/Official Facebook page

William wrote on Twitter: “Excited to be arriving in Dubai to celebrate the UK at @DubaiExpo and discuss the vital issue of working together with the UAE and international partners to achieve a more sustainable world."

Oil-rich UAE last year pledged to invest 10 billion pounds in Britain and has said it wants a free trade pact with it.

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But as Britain seeks to engage globally after Brexit, opposition lawmakers and campaigners have criticised the government for prioritising business over human rights concerns.

Britain condemned a Jan. 17 drone and missile strike that killed three civilians in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and was claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, who the UAE is fighting as part of a Saudi Arabia-led military coalition.

The UAE has said two other air attacks by the Houthis and a fourth claimed by another, shadowy group were intercepted without casualties.

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While the British monarch has few practical powers and is expected to be non-partisan, it gives Britain a degree of “soft” power in global, diplomatic relations.

Prince Charles, William’s father and first in line to the throne, has visited the Gulf many times and developed strong links with the region.

Source: euronews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.