H.E Obaid Saeed Aldhaheri, Ambassador of UAE wrote to Việt Nam News on the country's National Day.

This year, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) celebrates its 51st National Day, which coincides with the preparations of UAE and Việt Nam to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1993-2023).

On the 2nd of December every year when Emiratis celebrate their National Day, they touch on the great development achievements of the country during the previous year, and what they aspire to achieve during the next year.

In that day on 1971 when founding its Union, UAE began its confident and triumphant journey towards progress and development, to achieve its pioneering ambition in all fields, as an embodiment of the "UAE Vision 2021", which achieved progress, development and prosperity thanks to the vision of its wise leadership.

UAE is always highly appreciated by the international community as a pioneer in conveying messages of peace, tolerance and friendship to the globe, and for this reason it is keen to build high-level friendly relations with countries around the world. The UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God protect him, continues the path of national development and economic growth as an extension of the legacy of the Founding Father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God rest their souls, and the future model of the UAE.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in his visit to Việt Nam's pavilion in the Opportunity District at the Expo Dubai 2020. Photos courtesy of the embassy

With a balanced foreign policy based on the approach of moderation and the values ​​of truth, goodness, human giving and tolerance, UAE has become an icon of humanitarian giving in the world, as it has committed itself to building bridges of friendship and cooperation with other countries, and has adopted active diplomacy based on openness to the outside world. The UAE has woven a wide network of relations with various countries of the world, based in essence on respect for the principles and charter of the United Nations and the international community, especially democracy, human rights, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

The UAE has continued to support the Sustainable Development Goals, which represent a roadmap and a specific path for building a better and more sustainable tomorrow for the world and future generations. The UAE continues to devote its efforts to facing major global challenges, especially those related to eradicating poverty, preserving the environment and confronting climate change, laying the foundations and rules for justice and peace, and supporting and promoting global progress.

During the process of its development, the UAE has gained high rankings in various global indicators, provided a safe and stable environment for foreign investment marked by stability, modern infrastructure and effective economic policies, alongside flexible laws that encourage foreign investors in different sectors. Furthermore, a number of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) signed recently between UAE with strategic partners such as India, Indonesia and Israel would facilitate for Vietnamese entrepreneurs more opportunities to enter and benefit from these potential markets.

The UAE leadership always supports multifaceted cooperation with Việt Nam since the United Arab Emirates and Việt Nam formally established diplomatic relations in 1993; so far numerous achievements have been recorded in different fields. And as we celebrate the 30-year anniversary of diplomatic relations, this coincides with the international community's acknowledgement of the UAE and Việt Nam's efforts, which were reflected in the two countries’ winning non-permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council for the period 2020-2021 and the period 2022-2023; and membership in the Human Rights Council for the period 2022-2024 and the period 2023-2025; Việt Nam elected as Vice President of the United Nations General Assembly’s 77th session; the UAE winning the hosting of the Conference of the Parties to Climate Change COP 28 in 2023, and the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai in early October 2021 as a unique event in the region that includes an unprecedented number of countries and diverse cultures as the culmination of the great efforts of past years and a symbol of the beginning of the next fifty years in the march of UAE achievements.

Dubai City

Over the past three decades, the fine relationship between UAE and Việt Nam has been increasingly strengthened and diversified. Indeed, the two countries have continued an effective cooperation in various fields including politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, aviation, culture, education, labor and tourism, which have been supported with high-ranking visits, investment and trade promotion delegations and friendly exchanges, together with signed agreements and MoUs as well as mutual support at various international organizations that reflect the huge potential for our partnership.

As a result, the UAE is already considered one of the leading foreign investors in Việt Nam, it is Việt Nam’s largest export market in MENA, and we are confident that this trading and investment relationship will continue to grow stronger. As a hub of the Middle East and a gateway to both Europe and Africa, the UAE is well placed to facilitate Vietnamese access and expansion into the global market. Concurrently, UAE also recognises Việt Nam as a gateway to South East Asia. VNS