British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to pay tribute to the former president of the wealthy Gulf country, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who died on Friday at the age of 73, announced on Saturday Downing Street.
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During his visit, Boris Johnson also intends to "
strengthen the close bond which binds the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, and which will continue to exist under the presidency of Sheikh Mohammed Ben Zayed Al-Nayane
", crown prince elected president on Saturday of this rich Gulf oil monarchy, which he already led
de facto
.
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In a statement on Friday, the British Prime Minister expressed his "
deep sadness
" after the death of Khalifa bin Zayed, whom he called "
a wise and respected leader
".
The British Prime Minister had visited the United Arab Emirates in mid-March as part of a Gulf tour that included Saudi Arabia, two “
key partners
” according to him to calm the world energy market after the invasion of the Ukraine by Russia.
In February, Britain's Prince William, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, also visited the Emirates, as part of a climate-focused visit that also aimed to strengthen ties between the two countries after the Emirates, a former British protectorate, celebrated 50 years since its founding in 1971. Last September, the two governments announced a plan for investment by the Emirates in the United Kingdom, focusing on technology, infrastructure and energy transition , with an envelope of 10 billion pounds (11.7 billion euros).