(Reuters) – United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan will fly to France on July 18 for his first official visit outside the region since taking office in May.
Sheikh Mohammed will meet French President Emmanuel Macron and discuss joint action in the fields of “future energy, climate change and advanced technology” and efforts to bolster regional security and stability, the state news agency WAM said.
Paris has close economic and political ties with Abu Dhabi and Macron has forged a good relationship with Sheikh Mohammed, who had already been leading the UAE for years as de facto ruler. France has a permanent military base in the UAE.
The two countries signed a series of major deals last year, including an arms contract worth $19 billion, during a visit by Macron to the Gulf state. French energy giants TotalEnergies and Engie also won billion-euro deals.
TotalEnergies Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne said on Wednesday that France is talking to Abu Dhabi about importing fuel and diesel for the coming winter season in response to the Russia/Ukraine conflict, which has impacted Russian energy supplies to Europe.
(Reporting by Enas Alashray; editing by John Stonestreet and Richard Chang)
