Bright young Emiratis have been told they are the wealth of the nation and its best investment in the future.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, told a group of 52 Emirati students at university in Japan that the UAE and its leadership expected and hoped for a great deal from them.
“You are the wealth of the nation’s homeland and its future, and you are the best successful investment,” Sheikh Mohammed told the students when he met them on his official visit to Japan.
“Through you we can send a message abroad that we have ambitious national cadres, who reflect the best representation of their country.”
Meanwhile a strengthening of ties between Japan and the UAE took concrete form with the establishment of a joint working committee to coordinate policy in a range of areas from defence and security to energy and health.
Sheikh Mohammed said the two countries had made “concrete efforts for strengthening the comprehensive partnership between Japan and UAE towards stability and prosperity”.
The new joint committee will focus on:
Security: both sides decided to work together for common goals such as maritime security, including the safety of sea lanes, counterpiracy, non-proliferation, anti-terrorism and disaster relief.
Defence: they acknowledged the importance of further exchange of defence cooperation and welcomed visits between senior defence officials.
Oil: they agreed a long-term partnership on oil development cooperation, which will bring about technological collaboration, training programmes and financial cooperation. The countries decided to expand the capacity of a joint oil stockpile up to one million kilolitres.
Nuclear: Japan and the UAE also launched negotiations on a mutual investment agreement, in areas like nuclear energy. In particular, Japan's ministry of trade would help the UAE with issues over safety and preparedness, based on lessons learned from the March 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Economic: the countries have emphasised cooperation on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to income tax.
Consular: the UAE welcomed Japan’s decision, implemented since last October, to issue three-year multiple entry visas to Emirati nationals to visit Japan for up to 90 days per visit for the purpose of business, sight-seeing and recreation. Upon a request from the UAE, Japan has decided to study whether to waive visas for UAE ordinary passport holders.
Food imports: the countries expressed their intention to continue discussions to ease and lift the restrictions on the imports of Japanese food put in place after the Japan earthquake in March 2011.
Education and scientific co-operation: Japan and the UAE have welcomed the agreement between Tokyo University, the Petroleum Institute and the Research Centre Abu Dhabi on the establishment of frameworks of joint research studies, and both sides expressed the hope that academic cooperation would be deepened.
Medical: the countries affirmed the importance of cooperation in the medical field. The Japanese with prime minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would start receiving UAE patients in advanced medical institutions in Japan by the end of the year, and that an exclusive service desk would be established for them. Sheikh Mohammed welcomed the move.
Environment: the countries affirmed the importance of expertise exchanges between the two countries and welcomed the dispatch of technical experts from Japan International Cooperation Agency to Abu Dhabi and Dubai with a view to discussing technical assistance in the fields of waste management, aquaculture and fisheries.
Humanitarian aid and development: the countries welcomed further cooperation between the Ministry of International Cooperation and Development and Japan’s ministry of foreign affairs in the fields of humanitarian aid and international development.
Sheikh Mohammed later left Tokyo and continued his Far East tour in Seoul, South Korea.
mcroucher@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by Wam
