With a visionary outlook toward comprehensive integration, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the sisterly United Arab Emirates announced today, Thursday, their joint “Strategy of Determination,” which is based on 44 projects in the economic, developmental, and military spheres.
The announcement of the strategy coincided with the first meeting of the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council in Jeddah, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
The leaders of both countries set a 60-month timeframe for implementing strategic integration projects aimed at building an exceptional model of integration between the two nations that supports the process of joint Gulf cooperation, while simultaneously helping to safeguard achievements and interests and create new opportunities for the two brotherly peoples.
The deliberations to develop the strategy took approximately 12 months, with 350 officials from both countries representing 139 government, sovereign, and military entities working on it. The strategy focused on three main pillars: the economic pillar; the human and knowledge pillar; and the political, security, and military pillar.
His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates, co-chaired the first meeting of the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council
The first meeting of the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council saw the announcement of the Council’s organizational structure, which was formed with the aim of intensifying bilateral cooperation on issues of mutual interest and monitoring the implementation of planned projects and programs, with the aim of realizing the Council’s vision to highlight the two countries’ standing in the fields of economy, human development, and political and military integration, and to achieve the well-being of both nations’ societies.
The Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council serves as a model for bilateral cooperation between nations and the strengthening of their ties, while simultaneously supporting efforts within the framework of joint Gulf cooperation. The Council was established in May 2016 under an agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and his brother, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.
The Council will work to coordinate the implementation of joint initiatives, the outcomes of which will positively impact job creation, GDP growth, and increased investment between the two countries.
The Council aims to develop a shared vision that deepens and sustains relations between the two countries in line with the objectives of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), strengthens the integrated economic system between the two countries, and finds innovative solutions to optimize the use of existing resources, and to build an effective and integrated educational system based on the strengths of each country to prepare highly competent generations of citizens, and to strengthen cooperation and integration between the two countries in the political, security, and military spheres, thereby enhancing the security and standing of both sovereign states at the regional and international levels, as well as ensuring the effective implementation of cooperation and partnership opportunities between the two countries through a clear mechanism based on an integrated performance measurement methodology to ensure the sustainability of the plans.
At the conclusion of the meeting, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi signed the minutes of the first meeting of the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council.
