00:08Ministro, estamos ahora en el segundo momento de este conflicto,
00:10un conflicto que no se puede empezar, pero no se puede acabar.
00:14¿Has estado en el conflicto?
00:16¿Cómo se mueve hacia adelante y cómo se acuerda a la conclusión?
00:20Gracias, Toby, por haberme.
00:21Creo que, como usted ha dicho, y usted vive aquí con su familia,
00:25la vida ha pretty much ido hacia el normal en el UAE.
00:28So we've had an incredibly challenging 14 days.
00:31We're two weeks into this conflict that, as you said, we did not want to be drawn into.
00:35In fact, we were very engaged in diplomatic efforts prior to this escalation
00:40to try and avoid conflict in the region.
00:42But now that it has happened, I think the UAE has demonstrated two or three things.
00:47First of all, that it prioritizes the protection, the security and the well-being
00:52of its resident and Emirati population.
00:54Our UAE air defense systems are best in class.
00:59They're honed over decades of investment, practice in real battles around the world
01:06as part of coalitions to counter everything from terrorism, to stabilize conflict settings
01:11like the Balkans, to liberate Kuwait in Libya, in Afghanistan.
01:17And so I think you see that the UAE armed forces have kept our communities and our residents safe.
01:23Second, you've seen that our economy is very resilient.
01:25So people are back at work.
01:28We will have a bounce back in our economy this year.
01:30I have no doubt about that.
01:32It is a safe place to work and do business.
01:34And thirdly, you see that everyone has rallied around the model that is being attacked in the UAE
01:40in the Gulf as islands of stability and prosperity.
01:44No one is signed up to the model that Iran is propagating with its illegal and unlawful attacks
01:50on all the Gulf region, which have been egregious.
01:54And this was rebuked resoundingly by the UN Security Council resolution
01:58that was adopted the day before yesterday.
02:03136 countries co-sponsored that UN Security Council resolutions that called these attacks unlawful,
02:09that called on Iran to stop, and that called on Iran that it had obligations to keep the
02:14Straits of Hormuz open.
02:15Iran is isolated on the world stage.
02:18Talk about the attacks.
02:19At the moment, the UAE is defending itself and trying to prevent a regional conflict.
02:24How difficult is that balance?
02:26I think the priority right now is defending the country against these attacks and
02:31ensuring it doesn't disrupt normal life.
02:33But of course, we have been preparing for various scenarios in a very turbulent region
02:38for decades.
02:39So these are not new plans.
02:40We have had contingency plans in place since prior to this point.
02:46You remember in Dubai, the Houthi attacks on the 17th of January in 2022.
02:52This kind of asymmetric warfare was something that we have built into our system.
02:57We've also built into our system resilience in our food supply, in our market supply, in our
03:03access to global goods.
03:04We are a global logistics hub.
03:07We connect destinations from Dubai, for example, to over 155 destinations around the world.
03:12Our economy is structurally sound and honed over decades.
03:17So I think you will see this economy and this country come through this stronger because we
03:21adapt.
03:22We're not only resilient, we adapt to crisis and we adapt to change.
03:26We take the safety and security of the 500,000 European residents, for example, who reside here.
03:34And I know that's a domestic audience that you are also speaking to incredibly seriously.
03:40And I think our trade ties with Europe at 65 billion euros a year is a robust signal that we
03:49are also
03:50open for investment. So we're negotiating a free trade agreement with the European Union at the
03:54moment. European partners have come in to assist us and to also protect their own communities here in
04:00the UAE.
04:01I want to just touch on that European part that you mentioned.
04:04I understand from sources that, you know, the French, the Italians and others are involved in
04:10those conversations with governments from the region.
04:13What has been your message to them?
04:15The Europeans have been incredibly supportive, not only because of the resident communities
04:20here that they are also trying to assist, but because of the strong partnerships and relationships
04:25that we have invested in over the years with European allies and partners.
04:30And so His Highness the President has received over 100 phone calls from around the world.
04:35But 40 countries, 41 countries actually from Europe, co-sponsored this UN Security Council
04:40Resolution 2817. And the EU has come out with a strong statement welcoming the adoption of this
04:46resolution. I think, you know, the higher representative, Kaya Callas, has called for a meeting
04:52a couple of times with all of us in the region. We've had a number of dialogues with her.
04:56President Ursula van der Leyen has also had at the head of state level consultations with a number of
05:01us in the region and directly with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed. We're in constant touch. There's constant
05:06support. There is a lot of offers for assistance and we're grateful for that partnership. And we are
05:12definitely doubling down on our engagement with Europe.
05:16In terms of Europe and the partners that are helping, without compromising national security or
05:21elements like that, how are you protecting the nation and how are the international partners involved?
05:26We're in a state of high alert here in the UAE. But the partnerships are, you know, I think,
05:33important as part of the grid and the layering, a multi-layering air defence system that we have
05:38here in place in the country. The primary brunt of the work is, of course, done by the UAE Armed
05:46Defence Forces. And I'd like to pay tribute to the incredible work they have been doing in keeping us all
05:51safe, but not just in keeping us safe, but in allowing our national airlines, Emirates and Ittahad to go up
05:57to
05:5750 percent return to normalcy in Emirates, for example. And Ittahad is also on its way up. You will see
06:05that in terms of
06:07stranded passengers, the majority who have wanted to leave have left. Many have chosen to stay and continue their
06:12holidays here. And the residents of the UAE, I think, have really rallied around the idea that this is their
06:17home. They have
06:19planted roots here. They feel protected by the government here, the government that also represents
06:23them. So I think all in all, we've had a challenging experience. But what our air defence system has shown
06:31is that it's best in class. You mentioned France, you mentioned Italy, the United Kingdom also, and others
06:36who have offered and who are coming in to work with us in this challenging time. But they're not coming
06:43in
06:43because they are protecting UAE interests. I think they're coming in because they recognise
06:49that UAE interests are, in fact, global interests. Of course, the wider regional stability of Europe and
06:56the Mediterranean is incredibly important. But globally, the Straits of Hormuz, a fifth of the world's energy
07:02supplies, passes through that narrow waterway. And this has an impact on not only global energy prices,
07:09but global food security and food supplies. The UN has estimated that there's been an 18%
07:15increase in their ability to give aid to those most in need in terms of food insecurity, for example,
07:21as a result of this. So Iran must not be allowed to hold the global economy hostage by its rogue
07:29state
07:29behaviour. Now, obviously, you're one of many countries impacted here. But what role can the UAE play from
07:35both an energy perspective and perhaps food security too? Well, I think the UAE continues to be a global
07:42logistics hub in both all our ports and our airports in our humanitarian city for the supply of food and
07:50essential goods and humanitarian aid around the world. That's first and foremost. And that has not
07:55been and will not be interrupted by these challenges that Iran is posing to the region. Secondly, I think in
08:03terms of energy supply, we are a responsible and committed supplier to the global energy market,
08:08and we will continue to do what we can. But we are also very frank with our partners, as have
08:14other
08:14suppliers in the region been, that unless UN Security Council Resolution 2817 is enforced, and it is binding
08:21on Iran that they abide by it, there are going to be ramifications, there are going to be implications for
08:29global energy prices. And that will also impact bills in grocery stores, bills in petrol stations,
08:38the price of food. So it's important today that Europe understand, and this would be my message to
08:44my European friends and partners. First and foremost, thank you. We're grateful to you. We're grateful to
08:49the community of Europeans living here who call this place home. We're proud of the resilience and the
08:54adaptability that you've shown in these challenging times. We're proud, as our president has said,
09:00to call you partners of the UAE in our nation building enterprise. But secondly, what you are
09:05defending here is not only the UAE. What you are defending here is a model. It's a model of coexistence,
09:12of tolerance, of peace for the wider region. So if you're against those things,
09:18then you are in the camp of Iran and these rogue state actors that are trying to export nihilism to
09:25the whole international system. I don't think we can allow that to happen on our watch.
09:29Do you think in some ways, because obviously this has always been a nation of peace, it's a tourist
09:33destination, it's a business hub. In some ways, do you think what's happening now will change this
09:39country or this region forever? We grew from a pearl diving economy into a global exporter, not only of
09:46hydrocarbons, but of commodity, of foreign direct investment, of clean energy, of AI. We're a
09:53country that is looking to an AI future. We've got a $1.5 trillion investment with the United States
10:00in AI data centers. We've got similar investments in Europe and Italy and France and AI data centers.
10:06We're building those here. We're an economy of the future. We always adapt in crisis. We respond. We're
10:12flexible. We don't promise that the regional environment can be entirely controlled. It cannot.
10:19I think that's a false promise. But we do promise that we will keep our country safe. We will keep
10:24our residents safe.
10:25In terms of Emirates and Etihad, you've got these messages from the international community saying,
10:31quick, get on these emergency flights. Yet at the same time, you hear from people here that the
10:35flights at times are half empty and there's plenty of capacity. How hard is it, from your perspective,
10:40when some international audiences are saying one thing and yet the reality is completely different?
10:45When this broke out, some passengers and tourists opted to leave. Many opted to stay. As you said,
10:51some of these flights are half empty. But I think some governments, for domestic reasons,
10:56felt compelled to show that they were offering that service to the UAE. A number of other European
11:02countries called us up and said, look, we know the best way out of the UAE is for the airlines
11:07to be
11:08fully operational and we'll do everything to help make that happen. And I think you'll see that
11:13actually the numbers have dwindled. What needs to happen is Iran needs to desist from its attacks,
11:18needs to understand that it cannot behave as a regional bully. It needs to understand that it is
11:23isolated on the international stage, that the model here is resilient, that it's tough, that it's
11:28adaptable and that we will overcome this. But they may not if they don't choose to go to the negotiating
11:33table at some point with the United States and find a compromise out of this. We are always for,
11:40in the future, diplomatic solutions to conflicts. We don't believe in military escalation,
11:45but we're tough when what we have fought so hard to build is challenged and we will be tough through
11:50this.
11:51Thank you, Your Excellency. Thank you.
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