00:08Minister, we're now into the second week of this conflict, a conflict you did not start,
00:12but not necessarily you can end. You've been dragged into it. How do you move forward from
00:17here and how does this come to a conclusion? Thank you, Toby, for having me. I think as you've
00:22said, and you yourself live here with your family, life has pretty much gone back to near normal in
00:27the UAE. So we've had an incredibly challenging 14 days. We're two weeks into this conflict that,
00:33as you said, we did not want to be drawn into. In fact, we were very engaged in diplomatic
00:38efforts prior to this escalation to try and avoid a conflict in the region. But now that it has
00:43happened, I think the UAE has demonstrated two or three things. First of all, that it prioritizes
00:49the protection, the security and the well-being of its resident and Emirati population. Our UAE air
00:56defense systems are best in class. They're honed over decades of investment practice in real battles
01:05around the world as part of coalitions to counter everything from terrorism, to stabilize conflict
01:10settings like the Balkans, to liberate Kuwait in Libya, in Afghanistan. And so I think you see that
01:19the UAE armed forces have kept our communities and our residents safe. Second, you've seen that our
01:24economy is very resilient. So people are back at work. We will have a bounce back in our economy
01:30this year. I have no doubt about that. It is a safe place to work and do business. And thirdly,
01:35you see that everyone has rallied around the model that is being attacked in the UAE and the Gulf
01:41as islands of stability and prosperity. No one is signed up to the model that Iran is propagating
01:47with its illegal and unlawful attacks on all the Gulf region, which have been egregious. And this was
01:55rebuked resoundingly by the UN Security Council resolution that was adopted the day before yesterday.
02:02A hundred and thirty six countries co-sponsored that UN Security Council resolutions that called
02:07these attacks unlawful, that called on Iran to stop, and that called on Iran that it had obligations
02:13to keep the Straits of Hormuz open. Iran is isolated on the world stage.
02:18Talk about the attacks. At the moment, the UAE is defending itself and trying to prevent a regional
02:23conflict. How difficult is that balance? I think the priority right now is defending the country
02:30against these attacks and ensuring it doesn't disrupt normal life. But of course, we have been preparing
02:35for various scenarios in a very turbulent region for decades. So these are not new plans.
02:40We have had contingency plans in place since prior to this point. You remember in Dubai,
02:47the Houthi attacks on the 17th of January in 2022. This kind of asymmetric warfare was something that
02:55we have built into our system. We've also built into our system resilience in our food supply,
03:01in our market supply, in our access to global goods. We are a global logistics hub.
03:06We connect destinations from Dubai, for example, to over 155 destinations around the world.
03:12Our economy is structurally sound and honed over decades. So I think you will see this economy and
03:19this country come through this stronger because we adapt. We're not only resilient, we adapt to crisis
03:24and we adapt to change. We take the safety and security of the 500,000 European residents,
03:33for example, who reside here. And I know that's a domestic audience that you are also speaking to
03:38incredibly seriously. And I think our trade ties with Europe at 65 billion euros a year
03:47is a robust signal that we are also open for investment. So we're negotiating a free trade
03:52agreement with the European Union at the moment. European partners have come in to assist us
03:57and to also protect their own communities here in the UAE.
04:01I want to just touch on that European part that you mentioned. I understand from sources that,
04:06you know, the French, the Italians and others are involved in those conversations with governments
04:12from the region. What has been your message to them?
04:15The Europeans have been incredibly supportive, not only because of the resident communities here that
04:21they are also trying to assist, but because of the strong partnerships and relationships that we have
04:26invested in over the years with European allies and partners. And so His Highness the President has
04:33received over 100 phone calls from around the world. But 40 countries, 41 countries actually from
04:38Europe co-sponsored this UN Security Council resolution in 2817. And the EU has come out with
04:43a strong statement welcoming the adoption of this resolution. I think, you know, the higher
04:49representative, Kaya Callas, has called for a meeting a couple of times with all of us in the region.
04:53We've had a number of dialogues with her. President Ursula van der Leyen has also had at the head of
04:58state
04:59level consultations with a number of us in the region and directly with the sign of Sheikh Mohammed.
05:04We're in constant touch. There's constant support. There is a lot of offers for assistance. And we're
05:09grateful for that partnership. And we are definitely doubling down on our engagement with Europe.
05:15In 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
05:26involved? We're in a state of high alert here in the UAE. But the partnerships are, you know,
05:33I think important as part of the grid and the layering and multi layering air defence system that
05:37we have here in place in the country. The primary brunt of the of the work is, of course, done
05:44by
05:45the UAE Armed Defence Forces. And I'd like to pay tribute to the incredible work they have been doing
05:49in keeping us all safe, but not just in keeping us safe, but in allowing our national airlines,
05:55Emirates and Ittahad to go up to 50 percent return to normalcy in Emirates, for example. And Ittahad is also
06:02on its way up.
06:04You will see that in terms of stranded passengers, the majority who have wanted to leave have left.
06:10Many have chosen to stay and continue their holidays here. And the residents of the UAE,
06:15I think, have really rallied around the idea that this is their home. They have planted roots here.
06:20They feel protected by the government here. The government that also represents them.
06:24So I think all in all, we've had a challenging experience. But what our air defence system has shown
06:30is that it's best in class. You mentioned France, you mentioned Italy, the United Kingdom also,
06:36and others who have offered and who are coming in to work with us in this challenging time.
06:42But they're not coming in because they are protecting UAE interests. I think they're coming in
06:47because they recognise that UAE interests are, in fact, global interests. They're, of course,
06:53the wider regional stability of Europe and the Mediterranean is incredibly important.
06:57But globally, the Straits of Hormuz, a fifth of the world's energy supplies, passes through that
07:04narrow waterway. And this has an impact on not only global energy prices, but global food security and
07:10food supplies. The UN has estimated that there's been an 18% increase in their ability to give aid to
07:18those most in need in terms of food insecurity, for example, as a result of this. So Iran must not
07:24be allowed to hold the global economy hostage by its rogue state behaviour.
07:30Now, if you see, 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?
07:38Well, I think the UAE continues to be a global logistics hub in both all our ports and our airports,
07:46in our humanitarian city, for the supply of food and essential goods and humanitarian aid around the
07:53world. That's first and foremost. And that has not been and will not be interrupted by these
07:59challenges that Iran is posing to the region. Secondly, I think in terms of energy supply, we are
08:04a responsible and committed supplier to the global energy market, and we will continue to do what we
08:10can. But we are also very frank with our partners, as have other suppliers in the region been, that unless
08:17UN Security Council Resolution 2817 is enforced, and it is binding on Iran that they abide by it, there are
08:25going to be ramifications, there are going to be implications for global energy prices. And that will
08:32also impact bills in grocery stores, bills in petrol stations, the price of food. So it's important today that
08:42Europe understand. And this would be my message to my European friends and partners. First and foremost, thank you.
08:48We're grateful to you. We're grateful to the community of Europeans living here who call this place home. We're proud
08:53of the
08:53resilience and the adaptability that you've shown in these challenging times. We're proud, as our president has said to call
09:00you
09:00partners of the UAE in our nation building enterprise. But secondly, what you are defending here is not only the
09:07UAE. What you are
09:08defending here is a model. It's a model of coexistence, of tolerance, of peace for the wider region. So if
09:16you're
09:16against those things, then you are in the camp of Iran and these rogue state actors that are trying to
09:24export
09:24nihilism to the 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,
09:46not only of hydrocarbons, but of commodity, of foreign direct investment, of clean energy, of AI.
09:52We're a country that is looking to an AI future. We've got a 1.5 trillion dollar investment with
09:59the United States in AI data centers. We've got similar investments in Europe and Italy and France
10:04and AI data centers. We're building those here. We're an economy of the future. We always adapt in
10:10crisis. We respond. We're flexible. We don't promise that the regional environment can be entirely
10:17controlled. It cannot. I think that's a false promise. But we do promise that we will
10:22keep our country safe. We will keep our residents safe.
10:25In terms of Emirates and Etihad, you know, you've got these messages from the international
10:29community saying, quick, get on these emergency flights. Yet at the same time, you hear from
10:34people here that the flights at times are half empty and there's plenty of capacity.
10:38How hard is it from your perspective when some international audiences are saying
10:43one 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. We'll do everything to help make that happen. And I think you'll see that actually
11:13the 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
11:23is isolated on the international stage, that the model here is resilient, that it's tough,
11:28that it's adaptable, and that we will overcome this. But they may not if they don't choose to
11:32go to the negotiating table at some point with the United States and find a compromise out of this.
11:38We are always for, in the future, diplomatic solutions to conflicts. We don't believe in
11:44military escalation. But we're tough when what we have fought so hard to build is challenged,
11:49and we will be tough through this. Thank you, Your Excellency. Thank you.
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