United Arab Emirates Strengthens Ties with Partners at Munich Security Conference

Her Excellency Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs, and Envoy of the Foreign Minister to the European Union, headed the delegation of the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs at this year’s Munich Security Conference. The annual event convened heads of state, ministers and thought leaders on international peace and security in Munich at a challenging time in international relations.

Over the course of more than 35 bilateral meetings and speaking engagements, Her Excellency stressed the urgent need for regional de-escalation, including the need to uphold the ceasefire in Gaza and support all efforts that lead to the two-state solution for Palestine and Israel. Furthermore, Her Excellency discussed the region’s stabilization efforts in Lebanon and Syria as instrumental to lasting peace and security in the broader region.

H.E. Nusseibeh also discussed with counterparts the desperate and unacceptable humanitarian suffering in Sudan, and encouraged other countries to back a ceasefire initiative proposed by the UAE, Ethiopia, the African Union (AU), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) during the month of Ramadan, and to contribute generously to efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people. In this context, H.E. underlined the UAE pledge of an additional USD 200 million in aid to Sudan, which was announced in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 14 February 2025.

In her capacity as Envoy of the Foreign Minister to the European Union, Her Excellency Nusseibeh met with leading members of the European Parliament, and senior EU officials, to discuss ways to strengthen the close ties between the EU and the UAE, particularly in the area of free trade at a time when economic growth and competitiveness are essential components of progress in both Europe and the MENA region.

Her Excellency Nusseibeh participated in a panel discussion organized by the Observer Research Foundation, where she joined His Excellency Alexander Stubb, President of Finland, His Excellency S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, Jon Huntsman Jr, former US Ambassador to China and to Russia, and Professor Nathalie Tocci, Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome.

During the debate, Her Excellency stressed the importance of continuously investing in both existing and newly emerging partnerships. H.E. described the UAE as an economic hub, as a result of both diplomatic and economic agility, and pointed to the more than 20 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements that the country had concluded in recent years.

Her Excellency Nusseibeh urged other countries to increase their readiness to seize partnership opportunities, and create the type of “connective tissue” that countries were looking for at a time of shifting geo-economic dynamics. H.E. stated: “When established relationships, including with great powers, fail to deliver returns on the investments we have made over the years, we are looking to diversify our portfolio, our economic bridges, our defense and security partnerships”, adding that this approach was “not transactional, but clear-eyed and pragmatic about the world as it is today.” 

The UAE Foreign Ministry delegation included His Excellency Ahmed Alattar, UAE Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Mohamed al Sahlawi, UAE Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and the European Union, and H.E. Muath Alwari, Director of Policy Planning in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.