Historic Visit: Sheikh Mohamed to Meet President Biden in Washington

On Monday 23rd September 2024, the President of UAE, Sheikh Mohamed will make his first official trip to Washington as President where he will be welcomed by US President Joe Biden at the White House. It is also the first time a UAE and US president have met in America since the formation of the UAE.

Since the creation of the UAE in 1971 the United States of America has been one of the first countries to recognize the new state and establish diplomatic relations with it. Sheikh Mohamed has met with several former US presidents and also bumped into Biden and held a conversation at the G20 Summit that took place in 2023. However, this upcoming visit has more importance than the previous visits which clearly depicts that the transformation of bilateral relations of both countries in light of ongoing global and regional dynamics.

The UAE and the US have friendly bilateral relations in many areas such as security, economy as well as in countering issues faced internationally. Despite the contemporary relations being good, the two countries have from time to time disagreed on some of the major strategic policies, especially when it comes to the Middle East. In fact, the UAE retains regional status as a vital player that shares many cultural and business connections with Western counterparts, including the United States whereby the bilateral trade turnover stands at well over $30 billion and there are US military stationed in Al Dhafra Airbase.

When Sheikh Mohamed and President Biden are to meet, they will discuss vital issues such as security in the Middle East, trade relations as well as other potential areas of cooperation that will further enhance the UAE-US relations in the future.