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The second Saudi-UAE bilateral retreat was held today in Riyadh with the attendance of high-level delegations from both sides to resume the work initiated during the first retreat held in Abu Dhabi last February.

This comes as an outcome of the UAE-Saudi coordination council, which formed in May of last year following the directives of the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz to advance cooperation between both countries on multiple levels.

The Council is co-headed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed ‎bin Salman, the Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia. This bilateral retreat is a part of a series of meetings between UAE and Saudi Arabia to coordinate our efforts in a number of areas of common interest as part of our Saudi-UAE Coordination Council frame of work.

 “We aim through this retreat to maintain and strengthen the Saudi-UAE relations on different levels, and this retreat is one of a series of meetings to achieve harmony and coordination in various fields in line with the objectives of the Saudi-UAE Coordination Council,” said His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Future, in his welcoming address. He also thanked His Excellency Eng. Adel Fakieh, Minister of Economy and Planning, and his team, for the organization of the retreat.

The retreat focused on three main topics: economic cooperation, knowledge and human development, and political and military coordination. Two hundred representatives from public and private sectors from both countries took part in 11 different working groups, each focusing on a specific agenda item. In contrast with 9 working groups formed during the last retreat held in Abu Dhabi.

The joint retreat included UAE and Saudi government officials and experts from various ‎sectors, as well as representatives of the private sector. Working groups were formed to discuss scenarios and ‎initiatives that serve mutual cooperation, and create a platform for consultation and coordination ‎among the working groups during both retreats. The retreat will be followed by a series of regular meetings and activities ‎within the Coordination Council to activate the outcomes and discuss the mechanisms for implanting the various cooperation plans. ‎

In the area of economy, the retreat focused on proposing mechanisms to promote a number of ‎topics, namely: infrastructure and housing, external partnerships, production and industry, agriculture and ‎water resources, services and financial markets, logistics, oil, gas and petrochemicals. ‎In the area of knowledge and human resources development, the retreat focused on technical education. ‎In the area of the military and political cooperation, the retreat discussed means of enhancing military and political ‎cooperation and coordination. ‎

At the end of today’s sessions, His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi thanked the organizers from the Saudi side and the working groups, affirming that the outcomes of the retreat will be reviewed regularly to ensure progress. He also added that projects will be submitted for review during the first Saudi-UAE Coordination Council meeting to be held during this year.

 The Saudi-UAE Coordination Council was set up in May of last year and the signing ceremony was attended by H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. The council is co-headed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the deputy crown prince and defence minister of Saudi Arabia.