UAE President Meets Polish Counterpart To Discuss Bilateral Ties, Signs 2 MOUs

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) in the fields of energy, and artificial intelligence and digital economy, in a move to expand the countries' bilateral relations.

During a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the two leaders also discussed regional and international issues impacting both nations and ways to resolve them, news agency WAM reported.

Sheikh Mohamed and Duda expressed their eagerness to expand their bilateral ties, particularly in the areas of trade and the economy, and examined their cooperation in various sectors, including food security, technology, transport, renewable energy, tourism, agriculture, and space.

During the meeting, Duda also thanked Sheikh Mohamed for supporting Poland when it hosted the Ukrainian citizens, who crossed the border during the Russian invasion. The UAE is one of the nations that offered significant humanitarian support to Ukrainian refugees during the war, with Sheikh Mohamed assuring Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy in October 2022 that the country would continue providing humanitarian and economic assistance to the country.

The MOUs came only a few months after the UAE and Republic of Poland signed a comprehensive agreement in the judicial and legal fields in September 2022, in relation to the repatriation of criminals and other criminal matters.

In a statement before the meeting, Duda said one of the objectives of his UAE visit was to raise awareness about Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

"We are also going to discuss the international situation. It's about countering Russian disinformation in this part of the world, in a quiet but consistent way," he said.

"The Russian influence in the countries of the Arab Peninsula is very strong. These are wealthy countries, with a high standing internationally, due to their clout. And so it is very important to present the truth about the Russian aggression in Ukraine in a determined way. This is also what our allies asked us to do."

Duda was accompanied by Polish Undersecretary of the State Marchin Przydacz, Head of National Security Bureau Jacek Siewiera, and Polish Ambassador to the UAE Jakub Slawek, during his meeting Tuesday.