Mohammed bin Zayed meets President Sarkozy at Élysée Palace

Paris - General HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces held talks yesterday with President of France Nicolas Sarkozy on ways to develop bilateral cooperation between UAE and France.
UAE Foreign Minister HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the delegation accompanying the Crown Prince attended the talks held at the Élysée Palace.
They also discussed regional and international developments as well as a number of issues of common concern.
On the French side, Michele Alliot-Marie, France's Minister of Foreign Affairs and a number of senior French officials also attended the meeting in addition to the UAE ambassador to France Mohammed Mir Abdullah Al Reesi and the French ambassador to UAE Alain Azouaou.
At the opening of the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed conveyed the greetings of President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to President Sarkozy, the government and the people of France and his well wishes for the progress and prosperity of France.
Sheikh Mohammed stressed the keenness of the UAE, under the leadership of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to expand bilateral cooperation that will bring UAE and France further closer through opening more areas of joint action that will reflect the strength of the relations of friendship.
He expressed satisfaction over the course of relations of cooperation which are increasingly developed through joint projects taking place in the UAE, particularly in the areas of tourism, education, culture, economy and military.
During the meeting they also reviewed the relations of strong friendship and cooperation between the two countries and the continuous growth of the bilateral ties. The talks emphasised the need for deepening the relations and cooperation in various fields, and Sheikh Mohammed hailed the great interest of President Sarkozy in developing these relations in a way that serves the common interest.
The meeting also addressed a number of regional and international issues and topics that concern the two countries, such as the developments in the Middle East peace process, the situation in Iraq and Lebanon and the developments in Iran's nuclear file. The meeting emphasised the importance of bringing the just peace, and stressed the need to support efforts for a peaceful international order to establish the foundations of security and stability in the region.
For his part, the French President expressed his happiness about the visit of the Crown Prince to France, adding that it reflects the common desire of both friendly countries in raising the level of bilateral relations and develop cooperation between them.
He also expressed his appreciation of the role played by President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in strengthening the relations between the two countries and promoting the process of cooperation between the UAE and France.
The French President sent his greetings to Sheikh Khalifa and prayers for his health and wellness as well as for the progress and prosperity of the UAE.
Sheikh Mohammed had met earlier in Paris with Alain Juppe, French Defence Minister and a number of French military officials and discussed ways to develop areas of military and defence cooperation between UAE and France.– Emirates News Agency, WAM