Tag Archives: education
Talks focus on boosting ties
Talks focus on boosting ties Mustafa Al Zarooni / 2 May 2013 Security and stability of the Gulf, trade and strategic investments figured prominently during talks between the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and British Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday. Cameron was all praise for the UAE’s role as a beacon of stability in the region and the leaders discussed ways to boost bilateral economic ties across sectors. Trade and alternative energy, health, education and strategic partnerships were reviewed and the two leaders agreed that more could be done for the people of both countries. The UAE is keen on enhancing strategic economic ties with the United Kingdom and joint projects would contribute to achieving higher growth rates, Shaikh Khalifa said. They also exchanged views on the latest developments in the Middle East and the concerted efforts being exerted by all international parties to restore security and stability in the region. The UAE President stressed the desire of the UAE to achieve comprehensive peace in the region. He added that the UAE is one of the countries in the region with a balanced and wise policy, based on strategic objectives, this being followed by others. British PM David Cameron receives Shaikh Khalifa at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday. — Getty Images Shaikh Khalifa and Cameron also discussed bilateral cooperation in a number of areas, especially relating to the economy and investment, in the light of the expanding economic relations between the two countries, particularly in the sectors of industry, trade, renewable energy, healthcare, education, defence and other areas. The President said that the UAE is looking forward to the development of the strategic economic relationship with Britain, through joint, sustainable investment projects, that could contribute to a raising of the rate of growth in bilateral trade and investment. Government communication channels must be pro-active to boost private trade and investment, Cameron said during the meeting. “This visit has made a deep impact on myself and will have significant results in the development of relations between our two countries and our two peoples,” Shaikh Khalif said and thanked the people of the United Kingdom for its hospitality during his two-day visit. A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office after the meeting said that Cameron had described the State Visit as “a mark of the lasting and strategic importance to Britain of our relationship with the UAE”. It added that “the two leaders agreed that the relationship had developed significantly in the last year, especially building a deeper and substantive defence partnership and significant new commercial links. They discussed the action that the international community should take on the most pressing issues in the Gulf and wider region, including to address the challenge of Iran’s nuclear programme, to end the appalling and dangerous conflict in Syria, and to bring new momentum to the peace process between Israel and Palestine. They agreed on the need for further support to stabilisation and development in Somalia at the London conference next week,” it said. “The two leaders agreed to continue close engagement between the two Governments on important issues in the relationship,” it concluded. Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; Shaikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister; Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates Group; Ahmed Juma Al Zaabi, Deputy Minister of Presidential Affairs; Abdul Rahman Ghanem Al Mutaiwee, UAE Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Dominique Jeremy, ambassador to the United Kingdom and a number of senior British officials in the government attended the meeting. Shaikh Khalifa later visited Westminster Abbey where he laid a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier. The President, who was met on arrival at the Abbey by the Duke of York, was received at the Abbey door by the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster, who presented to him the Canons of Westminster, officials of the Abbey. The Abbey, close to the Houses of Parliament, is the place of coronation and burial of British monarchs. The President was then conducted to the Grave of the Unknown Warrior by the Dean, where he laid the wreath. Shaikh Khalifa was accompanied by two members of the UAE Armed Forces, Second Lieutenant Moza Al Nueimi, the first female Emirati cadet to graduate from Britain’s Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, and First Lieutenant Hamad Al Amiry, also a Sandhurst graduate and a veteran of the Emirati military mission in Afghanistan. Following the saying of prayers by the Dean, the President was then escorted on a short tour of the Abbey. Shaikh Khalifa then signed the Abbey’s Distinguished Visitors’ Book, saying: “We in the United Arab Emirates value the lives of those who have sacrificed themselves for their country. The love of country and to sacrifice for it is the aim of everyone who seeks to protect his country.” He also met Prince Charles at Clarence House in the evening. Prince Charles welcomed Shaikh Khalifa and his accompanying delegation, praising the deep and historic relations between the UAE and Britain. He said that these are supported by the leaderships of both countries. He added that the President’s state visit represented an important stage in the history of the relationship. During their cordial talks, the two exchanged views on the relationship and on how it could be strengthened. Prince Charles then showed Shaikh Khalifa special displays of the work of the Prince’s School for Traditional Arts and the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. Shaikh Khalifa told Prince Charles that the United Arab Emirates was desirous of ensuring that the people of the UAE were made aware of the tolerance and moderation to be found in the essential concepts of Islam, far removed from any extremism. He noted that the message of Islam calls for love and peace and for the avoiding of hatred and enmity. Shaikh Khalifa and Prince Charles then took tea in the Garden Room of Clarence House, together with the Prince’s wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the accompanying delegation. Both Shaikh Khalifa and Prince Charles expressed the view that the President’s visit would have a positive impact of the developing relationship between the two countries and peoples. Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah and British Foreign Secretary William Hague earlier signed two memoranda of understanding on the creation of a Dialogue of Values and Qualification of Frameworks. The Dialogue of Values will be supervised by the UAE-UK Taskforce, jointly chaired by Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Alistair Burt, British Parliamentary Under Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Its first meeting will be held this month and other meetings at six-monthly intervals. The discussions will strengthen cultural and political understanding between the UAE and the UK, as well as exploring the developments in the Middle East and North Africa. Under the terms of the memorandum on qualifications, the two sides will prepare a list on the quality institutions in both countries to promote understanding and achieve partnership and ensure quality. malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Private sector is the future, Emiratis told
Private sector is the future, Emiratis told Sarah Young / 1 May 2013 Emiratis need to move into the private sector as the public sector jobs in the UAE start to diminish. Careers UAE 2013, a three-day recruitment, education and training event exclusively for Emiratis, was opened on Tuesday by Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The event aims at pushing more Emiratis into employment, in line with the government’s Emiratisation objective, which states Emiratis should make up at least 15 per cent of the total staff in a private company. According to the UAE Ministry of Labour, currently only about 22,000 Emiratis work in the private sector — 9.7 per cent of the total Emirati workforce of 225,000. Shaikh Majid at the ‘Careers UAE’ exhibition held at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Tuesday. — KT photo by Rahul Gajjar Private international service company Serco stakeholder relations director Adel Al Awadhi said his company employed more than 200 Emiratis. “Many Emiratis did not want to go into low-level skill jobs, but locals did not make up more than 12 per cent of the higher-skilled, university-graduate roles,” he said. “Emiratis still prefer the public sector. But our (UAE) public sector will not have as many jobs available going forward. It won’t be sustainable.” The government was looking to outsource the development and provision of public transport and major infrastructure projects such as rail, he said. Jobs had to be guaranteed for Emiratis, given the public sector would have less jobs to offer in the future. The private sector had to support this by helping to transfer knowledge, skills and best practice to Emiratis, through job shadowing, training and apprenticeship programmes, he said. While Serco invested heavily in their employees’ initial training and development, many of them left after one year because they could get better salaries in the government sector, Al Awadhi said. However, those Emiratis who stayed had a far higher chance of getting to a senior-level position than those who made the switch to government, “where (they’ve) got 200 other Emiratis in front of (them) already”. The senior projects manager at the Private Office of Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Fatma Ebrahim Ahmed, said the private sector needed to connect more with universities and colleges. “Dubai is full of private sector companies but not everyone is aware of them. They shouldn’t just wait for UAE nationals to come to their website.” Companies should attend career fairs and promote themselves through tools such as social media. sarah@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
A celebration of friendship
A celebration of friendship Mustafa Al Zarooni / 1 May 2013 It was meeting of close friends and that friendship was taken to a new level when the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was received with pomp and ceremony by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. “Your visit this week is a chance to celebrate the depth of our partnership — a partnership that continues to grow and strengthen,’’ said the British monarch, who praised the UAE’s investments in the United Kingdom. The Queen, who later hosted a state lunch for Shaikh Khalifa, said: “Our two countries have been close friends since before the foundation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, under the wise guidance and leadership of your late father, Shaikh Zayed.’’ Among the guests were Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and British Prime Minister David Cameron. “Our Treaty of Friendship signed in 1971 declared that the UAE and the UK would consult each other, promote educational, scientific and cultural cooperation and build close trade relations. This has never been truer than it is today and I am delighted with how our ties have developed, spearheaded by the UK-UAE Taskforce.” The Queen said the UAE is one of Britain’s largest trading partners in the Gulf region. ‘‘We have welcomed Emirati investments in the United Kingdom in many areas from the construction of the largest port facilities in the UK to the Emirates Skyline, the spectacular cable-car crossing over the Thames and, of course, Manchester City.” “I hope, Your Highness,” she told Shaikh Khalifa, “that as a result of this visit, our two nations will build on this historical and successful foundation and continue to work together to create a more productive and secure future.” She proposed a toast “to His Highness the President and to the health and prosperity of the people of the United Arab Emirates”. In response, Shaikh Khalifa expressed his “very great pleasure” at joining the Queen for the occasion, thanking her “for your kindness and your most courteous invitation.” “As the long-standing and historical relationship between our two countries continues to develop positively in all fields, I would like to express my deep gratitude for your cordial visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2010, which left such a good impression on us.” “We shall strive to develop further the long-established bilateral relations that exist between the United Arab Emirates in all fields, in order to achieve the interests of our two friendly countries,” Shaikh Khalifa said. “Indeed, it is my hope that this current visit serves to reinforce our deep-rooted and steadfast friendship that has continued for many years.” “Your Majesty,” he added, “please allow me to express once again my delight with this visit, as well as my confidence in the future prospects of the distinguished bilateral relations between our two friendly nations.” Shaikh Khalifa then, with the guests, raised a toast to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and to the health and prosperity of the people of the United Kingdom. Music during the banquet was provided by the band of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Following the banquet and an exchange of gifts, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh accompanied the President to the Sovereign’s Entrance to Windsor Castle to bid him farewell. A royal salute was sounded and the Windsor Castle Guard presented arms as the President passed. He later returned to his private residence in Richmond. Royal reception Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, greet President Shaikh Khalifa in Windsor Castle on Tuesday. — Getty Images Earlier in the day the President was visited at his private residence at Richmond, just west of London, by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. The President was met at mid-day by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at a specially-erected royal saluting platform on Datchet Road facing the imposing historic castle, which has been a royal residence for nearly 1,000 years. Two royal gun salutes were then fired, one of 21 guns, by the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, inside the grounds of Windsor Castle, and the other, of 41 guns, by the Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest regiment in the British Army, at the historic Tower of London, in central London. The President was then introduced by the Queen to a number of local civic officials, after which the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, gave a Royal Salute and the UAE national anthem was played. The Queen and Shaikh Khalifa, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, were then escorted to an open horse-drawn carriage for a procession through the streets of Windsor, with the Sovereign’s Escort Other members of the UAE delegation and senior British officials followed in carriages. As the procession commenced, the UAE and British national anthems were played. Soldiers from the Grenadier Guards and the Scots Guards, two of the most famous regiments in the British Army lined the streets in the town, which were decorated with the UAE and British flags, while townspeople and tourists watched the procession, applauding. The carriage procession then entered Windsor Castle, coming to a halt in the Quadrangle, where a Guard of Honour of the Welsh Guards was awaiting. The national anthems of both countries were then played again, as the Queen, the President and the Duke of Edinburgh took their places on the royal dais. Shaikh Khalifa, accompanied by the Duke, then inspected the Guard of Honour, following which there was a ride-past by the Mounted Band of the Lifeguards, the King’s Troop of the Royal Horse Artillery and the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry. Other members of the high-ranking delegation accompanying the President are Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Shaikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of the Emirates Group, Shaikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Development and International Cooperation, Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, Ahmed Juma Al Zaabi, Deputy Minister of Presidential Affairs, Khaldoun Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Staff Major General Eisa Saif Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Deputy Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, and Abdul Rahman Al Mutaiwee, the UAE Ambassador to the UK. On Wednesday the president will be received by British Prime Minister David Cameron and the two sides are expected to sign three agreements. He will also visit Westminster Abbey for a short private tour along with Prince Andrew. He is to lay a wreath at its tomb of the unknown warrior. Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles, the Queen’s elder son and the heir to the throne, is also part of the day’s schedule. He is to view displays by The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts and the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, followed by a private meeting with Prince Charles to round off the visit. Britain normally stages two state visits per year, aimed at strengthening the relationship with the visiting country. The last state visit by a UAE head of state was in 1989. Queen Elizabeth has made two state visits to the UAE, in 1979 and more recently in 2010. malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com ( With inputs from agencies) Continue reading
