Excellencies, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak with you today.
I congratulate Dr Ebtesam Al Ketbi and the Emirates Policy Center for the continued success of this flagship event, but also for the interesting work produced by her think tank all year around.
I would also like to take a moment to reflect on the passing earlier this year of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul in peace.
He led this nation through times of great change in the region and the wider world and despite all the turbulence around us, he succeeded in steering the UAE down a path of continuity, stability, prosperity and tolerance.
The people of this country, and I personally, will always be grateful for his leadership.
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is hard to believe this is already the ninth time I have spoken at this conference. It would be impossible to try to sum up the extraordinary achievements of the UAE over the period since I gave my first speech in 2014, but there is certainly plenty that I would never have imagined back then.
Sending the first Emirati mission into space, hosting the World Expo, welcoming the Catholic Pope to the Arabian Peninsula for the first time, agreeing the Abrahamic Accords, being chosen to host COP28, and the UAE’s very robust but compassionate response to the Covid-19 pandemic – these are just some examples of the way this country continues to surprise even those of us who call it home.
What makes these accomplishments even more remarkable, is that they have been achieved against a very difficult international backdrop. And sadly, this year has seen new and yet all-too-familiar challenges in that regard.
At the global level, the war in Ukraine, the deepening polarization between great powers, and the tendency towards a binary ‘us and them’ approach to international relations, shows that while much has changed, much has stayed the same.
The UAE has viewed the tragic situation in Ukraine from a principled position, aligned with international law, especially with regards to respect for national sovereignty. At the same time, we know that only a political agreement will resolve this conflict, so we have tried to help keep the door open for dialogue.
It is vital, as we navigate our way through these turbulent times in global politics, that all countries take a measured approach, abide by international law, and invest seriously in seeking diplomatic solutions to political crises.
If we fail to do this, the fallout will be devastating, and it will not be contained to one or two countries; it will affect all of us.
The UAE is at the forefront of adopting this approach. In recent years we have stepped up our focus on building bridges and strengthening economic and people-to-people ties with other countries in our region. This includes countries that we have serious political disagreements with. By doing this, we hope to build platforms for dialogue and progress on more difficult issues.
And we have been taking a similar approach with our seat on the UN Security Council. We have promoted dialogue on issues where members disagree, encouraged cooperation in areas where members have shared interests, and when necessary, taken a firm stand to reinforce the principles of the UN Charter.
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So, with this context in mind, I would like to focus my remarks today on what the UAE’s approach to foreign policy will be under the leadership of the President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The approach will build on the strong foundations and principles for UAE foreign policy that were established by his predecessors, and it will reflect both the interests and the values of our people.
Our foreign policy will be guided by eight core principles.
The first is that the primary goal of our foreign policy must be to promote the prosperity and security of the UAE through an approach that blends our national values and our national interests.
In my experience, our values and interests are usually mutually reinforcing.
For example, promoting women’s rights and tolerance, or providing humanitarian assistance for the most vulnerable, help to create both a more prosperous and a more stable region. So, the more we can do to promote these values across the region, the better it will be for our security and our prosperity.
It is also the UAE’s values that are part of the motivation for people from around the world to choose to live, work and invest here, thereby boosting our prosperity. And it is why other countries choose to partner with us on various initiatives. They understand that the UAE is a progressive, open and tolerant oasis in a challenging region.
And Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed is clear that both our values and our interests dictate that we should work in collaboration with countries around the world on shared challenges, like climate change, disease elimination, or water and food security, as well as on multilateral projects that connect the economies of this region and that will ensure shared prosperity for the region’s people.
However, as a medium-sized power, we also need to be pragmatic: for the sake of dialogue and progress, we sometimes need to engage with people we find distasteful; we will often choose quiet diplomacy over outspoken criticism; and we will occasionally have to make difficult compromises on certain files in order to advance cooperation on other important issues.
The second principle is that our foreign policy must be resolutely focused on supporting our long-term economic prosperity.
It is truly a remarkable achievement that the UAE’s GDP is now heading towards half a trillion dollars. But now is not the time to rest on our laurels.
At the heart of the UAE’s Centennial Plan for 2071 is a commitment to build a diversified knowledge economy. For this, we need to open markets for both outward and inward trade and investment. And we need to make ourselves ever-more attractive as a destination for global talent and capital.
Our foreign policy has a vital role to play in this. Through our bilateral relations, our diplomats can negotiate economic agreements that give our airlines, our businesses and our citizens access to other countries, and help UAE investors to navigate their way in new markets.
Emirati diplomats can also raise awareness among foreign investors of the opportunities for investment in the UAE, especially in sectors where this will help us to develop our knowledge economy.
We must also reinforce the UAE’s soft power, which helps to make it the destination of choice in the region for entrepreneurs, businesses, and investors.
And as we look to the future, we will continue to strengthen our relations with the leading economies of tomorrow - from Indonesia to Nigeria, and from Vietnam to Mexico.
We must also ensure that in an increasingly multipolar world, and with rising tensions between great powers, we do not allow a rise in economic protectionism. The UAE will always champion an open global trading system. Everyone will end up worse off if we close international markets.
The UAE knows better than most that security and political concerns between countries can sometimes make bilateral relations difficult. But economic ties can exist separately from those concerns.
This also applies to the international trade in food. We saw during the pandemic how important it is to diversify our sources of food imports and how our diplomatic relations with key food-producing countries helped to maintain open supplies of key staples.
It will be an ongoing priority for the UAE’s foreign policy to promote our food security.
The third principle is that we must invest in our country’s security and autonomy through a multilayered approach.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed understands that we are more secure because we do not rely on just one pillar for our security.
A central pillar of our approach is to have an effective defense capability of our own. We are proud of the professionalism and caliber of our military. We have witnessed how important it has been on various occasions, including when terrorists attacked our country earlier this year.
But for us to develop this capacity for self-defense, we also need security partners who can help us develop the right capabilities.
On top of this, we need to maintain cooperation with countries in the Gulf and the wider region through sustained diplomatic efforts that are targeted at promoting regional stability and security.
Beyond this regional layer, we look to partner with world powers that can play a constructive role, both in providing direct security support for the UAE but also in working together to promote regional stability and contain threats.
Our primary strategic security relationship remains unequivocally with the United States. This partnership of two sovereign nations has been close and mutually beneficial for decades, and we continue to value it greatly.
Yet it is vital that we find a way to ensure that we can rely on this relationship for decades to come, through clear, codified and unambivalent commitments.
We also welcome constructive and collaborative engagement from other world powers on promoting security and stability in the region.
This multi-layered approach is not only key to our national security but by avoiding complete dependence on just one or two other countries, it also ensures we retain our autonomy as a sovereign nation.
But the success of this approach depends on maintaining a diversity of strategic relationships, so that places foreign policy and diplomacy at the heart of our approach to national security.
It also requires that we sustain this diplomatic collaboration by building economic relationships with all countries in the world, whether large or small.
The fourth principle is that we must maintain balanced and diversified strategic and economic relations in the evolving world order.
We know that over the coming decades we will increasingly live in a multi-polar world, but it is not in our interest for that to become an increasingly divided world.
We are convinced that we are better off in an open international order, built on independent sovereign nations, with an open trading system, in which we retain the ability to work together to tackle shared global challenges.
The UAE has no interest in ‘choosing sides’ between great powers. Indeed, it is a central principle for Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed that we will not under any circumstances sacrifice our sovereignty to another country.
Currently, we are not dependent on just one or two countries for both our economic prosperity and our security. Our trade relations increasingly look to the East, while our primary security and investment relations are in the West.
This situation may evolve over time, but we are ever conscious that in diversity lies both strength and autonomy. So, we will continue to pursue balanced and diversified strategic and economic relations with world powers.
And we will play our modest part in facilitating the evolution of a peaceful and cooperative world order. This includes supporting constructive approaches to the evolution of global institutions, to strengthen both their legitimacy and effectiveness.
It also means working diligently to serve as a conduit for greater cooperation between East and West on issues of mutual interest, ranging from tackling climate change to combating extremism.
The fifth principle is that we should seek to support and strengthen the voice of moderation in this region.
So many of the region’s challenges will be easier to resolve if we can tackle the closed-minded, reactionary, extremist ideas that still influence too many people and societies in the region.
We must promote a culture of tolerance, openness and women’s empowerment. One that welcomes modernity and rationality; that does not see them as in opposition to Islam but as very much aligned with Muslim values.
The UAE will remain resolutely opposed to extremist ideologies and to those who use violence to achieve their political goals.
And we will promote alternative visions of society in this region – not least through our own example. The Abrahamic Family House will soon open in Abu Dhabi, in which a mosque, a church and a synagogue will stand side by side. A physical manifestation of our spirit of tolerance, if ever there was one.
And we will continue to strengthen our cooperation with countries in the region that are not driven by ideological perspectives, but that instead pursue pragmatic reform agendas and are committed to policies designed to promote stability and sustainable development across the region.
The sixth principle is that we will seek to deescalate conflicts and tensions in the region and beyond, by supporting political resolutions.
This region has suffered for too long from conflicts and disputes, both within and between states. It has led to insecurity, humanitarian catastrophe, and economic devastation, and to a near-constant sense of troubleshooting in foreign policy.
We absolutely must find a way to deescalate these tensions and instead focus our collective attention on meeting the needs and aspirations of the people of this region.
I am not naïve. I know from painful experience that we cannot simply wish these tensions away. The divisions are often real and deep-seated. And sometimes there are too many parties who have a self-interest in perpetuating the status quo, however harmful that is to their fellow citizens.
Nevertheless, wherever possible we will choose dialogue over division. We will deal diplomatically with all parties, and we will seek to forge areas of consensus.
We will also offer our hand of friendship to help others to resolve their disputes. Our country has a long tradition of facilitating the resolution of disputes between countries, dating back to the late Sheikh Zayed.
Indeed, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has shown on various occasions that when he sees an opportunity, he is ready to take calculated risks to pursue visionary peace initiatives and open up diplomatic avenues.
These stretch targets are an important element in understanding UAE foreign policy under his leadership, and will continue to guide what I see as an innovative and daring approach to diplomacy.
So, through the close and trusted relations that our leadership develops with other leaders and governments, we hope that on occasion we can make a contribution to easing tensions in the region and beyond.
The seventh principle is that we should work hard to avoid power vacuums in the region.
We have seen time and again over the last decade that these vacuums are magnets for instability. Extremists thrive in them, and states seek to exploit these lawless areas through proxies, which in turn causes others to act to prevent that happening, thus generating endless cycles of conflict.
And we know from tragic experience that the greatest victims of vacuums are the ordinary people who live in them. But of course, preventing their emergence is easier said than done.
Part of the long-term solution is to support better, more inclusive governance, and a stronger focus on meeting people’s economic aspirations.
There is no magic wand that can deliver this. But the UAE can do more to share our experience in governance and economic policy with other governments and we can strengthen economic relations to provide greater opportunity for people in other countries.
We can also do more through multilateral and bilateral diplomacy to help prevent and calm emerging crises in the region. And where power vacuums do emerge, we need to move quickly to provide diplomatic support for rapid political resolution and consensus-based transitional arrangements that maintain stability.
The final principle is that we should continue to increase our engagement with international organisations, to advance our strategic and economic position and address common challenges.
There are a range of global challenges that risk undermining our security and prosperity and that we can only tackle through cooperation with the international community.
The UAE is committed to work with every country in the world, large or small, both politically and economically, in order to build the international unity needed to tackle these priorities and to ensure that the regional voice on these issues is heard.
We knew this already, but the Covid-19 pandemic drove home this message for all of us. Whether it is preventing pandemics, maintaining global financial stability, combating extremist ideologies, tackling pollution of the oceans, or addressing global food insecurity, they are all challenges that do not respect national borders.
It is inevitable that our foreign policy must primarily serve the interests of the people of the UAE. But the people of the UAE have always cared about the wellbeing of others beyond our borders, so this compassion must be reflected in our foreign policy. And we know that through cooperation on shared challenges, everyone is better off.
There can be no doubt that one of the most difficult, urgent and important challenges facing the world today is climate change. This is a prime example of an issue on which countries come to the table with different interests and perspectives, yet we are all affected by it, and we know we need to address the problem together.
Failing to respect one another’s point of view will not deliver solutions. Dialogue, innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to practical solutions must drive our efforts.
I congratulate our Egyptian friends for the effective leadership they have been providing at COP27 over the last week.
The UAE is honoured to be hosting COP28 next year and is committed to using the opportunity to accelerate global efforts to tackle climate change.
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have learned through experience that foreign policy is not an exact science. The way these principles are applied will depend on the circumstances.
But they are derived from our values and interests, as well as from our accumulated experience, and as such, they provide a useful guide to our approach.
We are under no illusion that we are entering a period of calmer waters. The region and the world remain embroiled in conflict and dispute.
But by applying a principled yet pragmatic approach to foreign policy, I am confident we will be able to navigate a calmer and more stable route forward for this great country of ours.
