President Sheikh Mohamed in Serbia ahead of meeting with Putin

The UAE leader met Serbian President Aleksander Vucic before he flies to Saint Petersburg in Russia

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President Sheikh Mohamed has met President Aleksander Vucic in Belgrade during an official visit to Serbia.

Sheikh Mohamed attended an official reception ceremony at the Serbian presidential palace, where the national anthems of the UAE and the Republic of Serbia were played.

Accompanied by Mr Vucic, he inspected a guard of honour. The two are expected to discuss bilateral relations.

Sheikh Mohamed will continue his trip with a visit to Russia on Tuesday, where he will meet President Vladimir Putin.

In a statement on Wam, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said Sheikh Mohamed's visit to Russia “comes within the framework of the UAE's continuous endeavour to contribute to achieving security and stability in the region and the world.”

“The ministry indicated that the bilateral talks will address the latest developments related to the crisis in Ukraine, as the [UAE] seeks to achieve positive results to reduce military escalation, reduce humanitarian repercussions and reach a political settlement to achieve global peace and security,” Wam reported.

The news agency released no further details, but the Kremlin confirmed the meeting would be in the Baltic port city of Saint Petersburg.

Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Putin last held an official in-person meeting when the Russian president visited Abu Dhabi in 2019.

That followed the Declaration of Strategic Partnership signed between the countries in 2018.

The leaders have spoken by phone a number of times since then, according to official reports.

These include a call in March about the war in Ukraine, which had started the previous month.

Updated: October 11, 2022, 3:52 AM