ABU DHABI: United Arab Emirates Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in Abu Dhabi on April 9, with the two sides focusing on the state of UAE-EU strategic relations and a fast-moving regional agenda. The meeting brought together one of the Gulf’s most active diplomatic actors and the EU’s top diplomat at a time of heightened attention on regional security, international coordination and the institutional shape of ties between Abu Dhabi and Brussels.
According to the UAE readout, Abdullah and Kallas reviewed ways to deepen cooperation between the UAE, the European Union and the bloc’s member states. The discussions centered on strengthening joint action in support of what the UAE described as a constructive and positive strategic partnership aligned with the priorities of both sides. Abdullah welcomed Kallas’s visit and said ties with the EU and its member states were continuing to grow and evolve, reflecting a broader diplomatic and economic relationship.
The meeting also turned to regional developments, including the repercussions of Iranian missile attacks targeting the UAE and several other countries. Abdullah expressed appreciation for Kallas’s solidarity with the UAE and reaffirmed that all residents and visitors in the country were safe. The two officials also reviewed developments following the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, placing the Abu Dhabi talks within a wider regional de-escalation and security context.
Strategic Partnership Gains Formal Shape
Thursday’s meeting came against the backdrop of an expanding institutional relationship between the UAE and the EU. In December 2025, the two sides launched negotiations in Abu Dhabi on a Strategic Partnership Agreement, creating a formal track for cooperation across political, economic and sectoral issues. Official statements at the time said the proposed framework would cover areas including trade and investment, energy, connectivity, research, innovation, artificial intelligence, digital transition and people-to-people contacts.
That political framework has been accompanied by a parallel economic track. The European Union and the UAE formally launched bilateral free trade negotiations in May 2025 after agreeing a month earlier to open talks on a broad agreement covering goods, services and investment. The first negotiating round took place in June 2025, giving added weight to Thursday’s discussion of strategic relations and reinforcing that the UAE-EU agenda now extends well beyond diplomacy into commercial, technology and energy cooperation.
Regional Security Stays Central
Kallas’s Abu Dhabi stop formed part of a regional itinerary that followed a visit to Saudi Arabia, underlining the EU’s active engagement with Gulf capitals during a period of tension across the Middle East. The UAE said the meeting with Abdullah also addressed the importance of stronger international cooperation and intensified regional and global efforts to achieve sustainable peace. That framing placed the talks not only within the UAE-EU bilateral relationship but also within a wider effort to manage immediate security risks and diplomatic pressures.
The two sides have been in regular contact this year, including a phone conversation in January on Middle East developments and UAE-EU ties, and Thursday’s in-person meeting marked the latest step in that continuing dialogue. The Abu Dhabi session remained tightly focused on confirmed diplomatic priorities: strengthening cooperation, reviewing the status of the strategic relationship and addressing the regional situation. The meeting was attended by Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, UAE Minister of State, and Mohamed Al Sahlawi, the UAE ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union. – By Content Syndication Services.
