UAE President and French President Tour Abu Dhabi Defence Firms, Sign Strategic Pact

On Tuesday, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and French President Emmanuel Macron visited several high-tech manufacturing sites operated by Edge Group, the UAE’s largest defence conglomerate, as part of Mr Macron’s official visit to the Gulf.

The two leaders toured facilities at Tawazun Industrial Park in Abu Dhabi, including Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments (ADASI), EPI, Halcon and Powertech. They received briefings on the industrial park’s role in supporting domestic, regional and international companies.

Leadership Presence

Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad, Adviser to the UAE President, and several ministers and senior officials.

Strategic Partnership

During the visit, Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Macron witnessed the exchange of a strategic defence partnership framework between the UAE and France. The document was exchanged between Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, and Catherine Vautrin, France’s Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs.

Sheikh Mohamed later bid farewell to Mr Macron as the French leader concluded the UAE leg of his Gulf tour, which began in Kuwait on Monday. Mr Macron arrived in Bahrain after leaving the UAE and is scheduled to travel to Qatar next.

Expanding Ties

Separately, the UAE and France signed agreements in energy, artificial intelligence and advanced technology during Mr Macron’s official visit. The preliminary deals were signed in the presence of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Mr Macron in the capital.

Three agreements focused on AI and advanced technology were signed with French start-up AMI Labs to strengthen research and technological cooperation and explore new applications across various fields, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.