The UAE grouping of British parliamentarians has issued a statement of solidarity with the country and its armed forces at the forefront of self-defence against Iranian attacks.
Members of both houses of parliament and across the political divide attended a briefing from UAE officials this week and took the opportunity to condemn the Iranian attacks "in the strongest possible terms".
The 16 signatories of the statement said the continued prosperity, success and resilience of the UAE is of great importance for the UK.
"The UAE APPG will continue to urge the UK to strengthen its historic relationship with the UAE," it said. "The UAE and the UK enjoy a trade relationship worth £25 billion per year, creating and sustaining jobs and livelihoods right across the UK.
"The UAE remains the UK's largest trading partner in the region."
The parliamentarians, including former cabinet ministers, senior Labour backbenchers and rising members of the 2024 intake, said the UK was committed to the depth of the relationship across "security, intelligence, clean energy and on future technologies". The UAE delegation delivering the briefing included Reem Ketait, minister of state, Special Envoy of the minister of foreign affairs, Badr Jafar and Mansoor Abulhoul, ambassador of the UAE to the UK.
Sir Oliver Dowden, the former deputy prime minister and chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the UAE, told The National both sides shared a call for de-escalation and the need for a return to security and stability.
"These attacks are totally illegal, totally unprovoked," he said. "We were all very impressed by the resilience of the UAE. In terms of its physical resilience, infrastructure and ability to withstand this assault.
"We were left with a very clear sense of its enduring strength and the professionalism and capability of UAE armed forces."
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, welcomed on Thursday a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva condemning Iran's "flagrant violation" of international law in its attacks.
With London committed to support of the UAE's self defence, British armed forces have been involved in parts of the protective shield around the UAE, where the number of projectiles has exceeded 4,000 from Iran in under a month.
"The United Kingdom has a historic and long-standing duty and interest in defending the interests of all of the Gulf states, in particular the UAE, because the UAE has been a good, strong and trusted partner to the United Kingdom," he said.
Within days of the start of those attacks, tens of thousands of holidaymakers and business visitors that had been in the UAE at the outbreak of the hostilities were on the move back to the UK. The UAE was by far the largest location for Britons directly exposed to the Iran War. Many of the hundreds of thousands who have made a life there remain and endure alongside citizens and other residents. "We are also very impressed with the way in which British citizens who are resident, alongside those visiting, have been supported at this difficult time.
"We have a real sense that the authorities are treating British citizens in the same way that the treating Emiratis and others."
Overcoming the dangers of the attacks and challenges such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz underlines the importance of the UAE as a hub for modern Britain in the world. Its outlook as a place where opportunity, access and achievement of personal dreams remains vital to large numbers in the UK, too.
"The UAE has tremendous strength and resilience that ultimately means it will come out of this stronger than ever," he added. "The common objective we all have now is for this conflict to be brought to an end, for the straits to reopen and for normal service to resume."
