United Arab Emirates Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the margins of COP26. The Secretary and Foreign Minister discussed developments in Lebanon and Syria. Secretary Blinken also reiterated the strong U.S. support for the aspirations of the Sudanese people for democracy and underscored the need for the immediate restoration of Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government.

The Secretary and the Foreign Minister also discussed other important bilateral and regional issues. The United States is concerned about ensuring well balanced energy markets and calls upon key energy producers, such as the UAE, to further increase production until energy markets and broader economic conditions normalize in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally, the Secretary thanked the Foreign Minister for the UAE’s generous support in hosting and facilitating the safe transit of U.S. citizens, embassy personnel, and foreign nationals from Afghanistan and commended the UAE for the progress made in the past year on the historic opening with Israel.