(Bloomberg) -- United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed will prioritize talks on economic ties ahead of geopolitics during his first trip to Washington as the country’s ruler.
The leader widely known as MBZ will next week hold discussions with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee contesting November’s election. His trip will include meetings with key leaders on Capitol Hill as well as executives of large US-based firms.
“Sometimes people like to talk about some tensions in the relationship but the big story is that this is our most important strategic” alliance, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the UAE’s president, said in a briefing with journalists in Dubai on Thursday.
The trip to Washington is in line with what the energy-rich nation has been trying to achieve since stepping back from the recent civil war in Yemen, which includes focusing on economic ties, he said.
“A lot of the things that the UAE is doing today is with the perspective that the economy comes first,” Gargash said.
Still, the UAE can’t ignore the upheaval caused by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which is approaching its first anniversary, he said. That conflict is now spreading to Lebanon, where Israel has stepped up hostilities against Hezbollah, another militant group.
Both Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by Iran and considered terrorist organizations by the US.
Abu Dhabi has been involved in efforts to secure a cease-fire without being one of the chief mediators. The Gulf country has focused on humanitarian aid efforts inside Gaza and by its borders, spending hundreds of millions of dollars.
While MBZ and Biden will likely discuss the developing situation in Middle East, the UAE’s main goal is to bring up partnerships in artificial intelligence and in technology, Gargash said.
Earlier this year, Microsoft Corp. invested $1.5 billion in the UAE’s top AI firm, G42, after the Abu Dhabi-based company worked out an unusual deal with the US government to end any cooperation with China. The firms are establishing two centers in the Gulf state focused on developing best practices and industry standards for the responsible use of the industry.
When it comes to technology, “we have the finances,” Gargash said. “A lot of these AI projects and others need large pools of finance.”
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