The UAE is a role model to the world and its unity will endure, the Ruler of Ajman said yesterday in a speech to mark the 42nd National Day.
Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi extended his greetings to President Sheikh Khalifa and the Rulers of the six other emirates as he paid tribute to the federation.
He said the union had enjoyed many developments under the leadership of the late Sheikh Zayed, the founding President, and that such progress was continuing under the wise leadership of Sheikh Khalifa.
“Under the umbrella of the union, our country has witnessed an educational, economic, urban and agricultural renaissance, which meets the needs of the present and the future with an outstanding developmental process,” Sheikh Humaid told Dira’a Al Watan magazine.
“In a way, it has put the UAE in the front row among the most civilised countries in the world, as it puts sustainable development at the top of its priorities.
“The UAE has become a role model among the countries of the world and independent surveys and statistics prove this fact.
“Figures reveal that the UAE is first in the Arab World and 18th globally in the Economist Intelligence Unit survey, the Where To Be Born index, for 2013.
“It ranks fourth globally among the top 10 states in the crime reduction rate, notwithstanding the huge number of various nationalities in the country.”
Sheikh Humaid said maintaining the country’s success and building on its development could be done only through loyalty to the wise leadership and its “tireless work to preserve the country’s principles, customs and traditions”.
“At the end, we say, if the union was a highly notable achievement, its continuation is the miracle,” he said.
salamir@thenational.ae