On September 9, 1991, the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, met French president Francois Mitterrand in Paris. As a statesman and a leader, Sheikh Zayed was respected the world over ― and the UAE’s enduring relationship with France is a testament to his legacy.
Sheikh Zayed had previously visited the French capital in 1951, as part of a delegation to the International Court of Arbitration, where Abu Dhabi won the rights to oil found under the sea, as well as on land. Sheikh Zayed travelled to France via Bahrain, before visiting Italy, Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon.
“Travelling abroad in the 1950s and 1960s, [Sheikh Zayed] was inspired by what he saw in Europe, and wanted the same for his people,” said Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation.
“And with the new revenues generated by oil sales, he was able to embark upon major construction and development projects at home, to ensure that the people benefited from their wealth, and to work for unity and federation in the region.”
An exhibition from 2019, Sheikh Zayed and Europe: A Journey, included a quote from Zaki Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates: "[He] visited museums like the Louvre in Paris and said that one day, there will be a museum like that in the UAE." Today, the presence of the Louvre Abu Dhabi is a testament to that vision.
Sheikh Zayed’s first presidential tour of France after the unification of the United Arab Emirates, took place in 1975. He was pictured meeting French president, Valery Giscard d’Estaing. Also present was his son, now President Sheikh Mohamed, who was 14 at the time, and Nusseibeh.
Sheikh Mohamed shared the photo during his own first state visit to France earlier this year, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron later hailed the partnership between the two nations as one based on "loyalty and reliability", and hailed Sheikh Mohamed's key role in addressing international challenges.
The French president said: "Through your new presidential duties, you will continue your efforts to make the UAE a strong, stable, diversified and growing economy and an influential member of the international arena in addressing global and regional challenges.”
As the two nations continue to look forward, on this day we look back to where it all began.
Scroll through more images of Sheikh Zayed's travels to Paris below.
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UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed's first presidential tour of France in 1975, with a young Sheikh Mohamed watching on. Zaki Nusseibeh -
Previously released images show French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing speaking with Sheikh Zayed at a dinner in Elysee Palace during the UAE Founding Father's visit to Paris on July 4, 1975. On the left is French prime minister Jacques Chirac speaking with First Lady Anne-Aymone Giscard d'Estaing. Photo: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Twitter -
French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing meets Sheikh Zayed during a visit to Abu Dhabi in 1980. Photo: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Twitter -
French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing visits Abu Dhabi, where he is greeted by Sheikh Zayed, in 1980. Photo: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Twitter
