UAE leaders condole with Saudi King on passing of Prince Alwaleed bin Khalid
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, dispatched similar messages to the Saudi King.
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The National
7 hours ago
- The National
UAE and US working to 'get chips moving' after AI deal
After this week's debut of the White House's Artificial Intelligence Action Plan, the UAE is ready to expedite its AI partnership with the US. This follows President Donald Trump's visit to Abu Dhabi in May, when he announced the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership, which included plans for a 5GW UAE-US AI Campus. Those plans allow for the UAE to obtain powerful CPUs and GPUs from the US which are necessary to build up AI infrastructure. Once completed, part of the campus, dubbed Stargate UAE, will be among the largest AI data centres in the world. Security guarantees to protect the UAE AI technology from falling into the wrong hands were are major aspect of the deal. Also bolstering the deal, Mr Trump's much-anticipated AI plan, unveiled on Wednesday, seeks to reduce regulatory barriers in place to build up AI infrastructure in the US, while pushing for increasing the prevalence of US AI technology around the world. That bodes well for the UAE, and other countries with similar AI aspirations. It's also a sharp contrast to the former president Joe Biden's policies. His administration sought tighter export controls on US chips to prevent them from being used in China. 'The UAE welcomes President Trump's AI Action Plan and is ready to fast track our strategic AI partnership with the US,' Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Minister of State and ambassador to the US, said on Wednesday. 'As a trusted partner, we are working closely with leading US companies to adopt and scale American technology in the UAE and beyond.' Some pundits aren't sold however, and they're trying to exert influence to slow the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership. In an opinion article in The Washington Post, Christopher Chivvis and Sam Winter-Levy from the Carnegie Endowment, a US-based think tank, expressed concern about China somehow getting access to the US AI technology, among other things. 'To now approve the offshoring of the data centres that will house so many of the resulting chips to another conflict-prone region would be a major unforced error – one that will prove difficult to reverse,' they wrote. The UAE has addressed this by committing to a $1.4 trillion investment framework for AI infrastructure in the US. Regardless, the Wall Street Journal also reported that some in the White House have sought to take a closer look at the recently announced UAE deal, amid concerns about US technology diffusion. But last week, the White House cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence adviser beat back those concerns, and reaffirmed the US partnership with the UAE. 'These are countries that are long-standing partners and allies of the US going back many years,' White House AI chief David Sacks said during a round-table discussion at the Pennsylvania Energy and AI Summit, referring to the UAE. Mr Sacks added that the Trump administration thought that if US technology wasn't used in AI projects around the world, China-owned Huawei would step in to fill the vacuum. 'We don't want to create demand for Huawei,' he explained, also describing some of the chip smuggling scenarios that have become prevalent in media reports as quixotic. He said the newest standard data centres technology hardware is approximately 2.4m tall, with servers weighing 1,600kg, and that it's 'very easy to see' if they're being transported. 'I know that our Gulf State partners would honour our security agreement,' he said just hours before President Trump appeared at the event in Pennsylvania. 'This is ultimately a trust-but-verify situation, and all we have to do is send an inspector to a data centre and they can count the racks,' Mr Sacks explained, reiterating that he felt the scenarios of AI hardware smuggling were 'blown wildly out of proportion.' Meanwhile, there's no indication from the White House or Department of Commerce, which is ultimately responsible for allowing the export of US technology, that criticism of the UAE deal is gaining traction. In a statement to The National, the UAE ambassador expressed continued optimism about the AI plans with the US announced back in May. 'Signed just 60 days ago in Abu Dhabi, the UAE-US investment and Ai partnership will deliver enormous benefits to both countries,' Mr Al Otaiba said. 'High level teams have been actively engaging to advance the agreement, to get chips moving and to accelerate technology co-operation.'
The National
10 hours ago
- The National
UAE has hosted more than 17,600 Afghan evacuees since 2021
Almost four years since the Taliban took power following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, UAE authorities have provided details of how many Afghans it has hosted. The UAE has spent almost Dh1.35 billion ($367.6 million) hosting Afghan refugees before relocating them to other countries since 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. There have been 17,619 Afghans hosted in Emirates Humanitarian City in Abu Dhabi since there were widespread evacuations after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, two decades after they were toppled by the US and Nato. The assistance covered all the needs of Afghan citizens − including health care, logistical and diplomatic services, communications, shelter and food − ensuring comfort, a dignified life and well-being, said a statement from the ministry released on Thursday. EHC also provided services related to departure procedures, with 17 offices opened for the embassies of the countries to where Afghans were seeking relocation. School transport was also provided, along with on-site education and training courses. Almost 2,600 Afghans benefitted from training and professional development workshops, the ministry added. 'The UAE has spared no effort in assisting the Afghan people, being at the forefront of countries that have initiated support for Afghanistan,' said the ministry. 'This reflects its humanitarian mission, which is based on the values of giving, charitable work, spreading peace and consolidating coexistence, tolerance, and the principles of human fraternity. 'It also promotes solidarity with peoples during the most difficult circumstances and crises facing countries. 'The focus on caring for people and preserving their dignity has been a constant approach in the UAE's journey since its founding, regardless of ethnic, religious, or geographical backgrounds and in line with its noble humanitarian principles. It has become a global symbol of humanitarian giving and sustainable good.' A US news outlet reported earlier this month that the UAE was preparing to send a small number of evacuees back to Afghanistan in July.
The National
10 hours ago
- The National
Gaza suffering is 'unbearable', says EU commissioner
International pressure on Israel to alleviate 'unbearable' suffering in Gaza is set to increase at an upcoming conference in New York in support of a Palestinian state, the EU commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica has told The National. The UN has warned of mass starvation in Gaza engineered by Israel, but Benjamin Netanyahu's government rejects the accusation and blames Hamas. In the meantime the number of deaths from starvation rises steadily. 'The situation there is unbearable,' Ms Suica said. 'This is exactly the reason there is a conference. It won't solve that but it can help, because France and Saudi Arabia are organising it. Many foreign ministers will follow, and I will join on behalf of the European Commission.' A two-state solution such as that backed by the bloc and its Arab partners appears to many more elusive than ever. Israel's parliament this week called for the annexation of all Jewish settlements in the West Bank – in effect blocking the possibility of a future Palestinian state. Ms Suica, a Croatian politician who is scheduled to represent the EU at this month's conference, plays a central role in shaping the EU's economic diplomacy in the Middle East. The budget she oversees was doubled last week to €42.5 billion in the EU Commission's latest seven-year budget proposal. In October, Ms Suica will present a 'new pact for the Mediterranean', which is expected to include concrete partnerships with the region, starting with the first joint energy conference with GCC countries in Brussels on December 15. The idea is to show the region that the EU is not neglecting relations with the Arab world despite being also focusing on what is viewed as Russia's existential threat in Ukraine. Though not part of the Mediterranean region, Gulf countries are to be integrated in the new pact as privileged partners. 'We badly need them to get with us, because their interest is to have peace, security and prosperity in the region,' Ms Suica said. We want to be a player, not only a payer EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica Ms Suica, who is in charge the EU's funding to the Palestinian Authority, said that the EU would invite partners in New York to join a newly launched donor platform. It also aims to co-ordinate international efforts for the reconstruction of postwar Gaza once a permanent ceasefire is achieved. EU pressure Brussels views the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has been considerably weakened by Israel, as the only alternative to Hamas in governing Gaza. As its primary financial supporter, the EU increased its funding to the PA this year to €620 million in grants, up from €400 million in grants and loans in 2024. The bloc also recently released €52 million in funding for UNRWA, though Ms Suica signalled hopes that, over time, the PA will assume responsibility for essential services. 'Once they take over services, like health and education, they will be powerful enough to show that they can be a counterpart to Israel,' she said. 'This is what we want to achieve.' Gulf countries as well as OECD states, including the UK, Australia and Japan, would be considered strong partners to the new donor platform. There is a widespread view that the US mediates conflicts in the region while the EU finances reconstruction – but Ms Suica wants that to change, pointing to the Middle East's geographical proximity to Europe. Her motto is: 'We want to be a player, not only a payer.' While the New York conference is not expected to yield immediate decisions, it aims to offer a renewed political horizon for resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict. Participants are set to express their concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Yet both Israel and the US will be absent, and France's stated intention to issue its own recognition of Palestine at a follow-up leaders' meeting in September has angered Israel. Despite Israel's reputation suffering a blow during the Gaza war, EU unity on the conflict remains fragile – a fact recognised by Ms Suica. 'Let's see whether this conference in New York will help, because it will be worldwide, and I am sure that they [Israelis] also don't want to have such an image in the world,' she said. EU countries failed last week to adopt of any of the 10 measures put forward by the bloc's foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, after her services found that Israel had breached a human rights clause enshrined in its relations with the bloc. Her proposals included suspending trade preferences and scientific partnerships. All options One measure that did gain consensus was a deal to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza. Yet EU ambassadors in Brussels were reported to have been widely dissatisfied with its roll-out and impact at their first update this week. Ms Kallas on Tuesday warned that 'all options remain on the table if Israel doesn't deliver on its pledges'. Her office did not answer a question from The National asking whether she would participate in the upcoming conference in New York. Israel has killed close to 60,000 Gazans in 21 months of war, after around 1,200 died in Hamas-led attacks in Israel. Ms Suica reiterated the EU's insistence on Israel keeping border crossings open to ensure the flow of humanitarian assistance. 'They opened some crossings, but still, we are monitoring closely what's going on. We need more,' she said. Regional efforts In addition to her work on Palestine, Ms Suica has been actively engaging with Middle Eastern partners to forge long-term region-to-region co-operation. This includes a strategic partnership signed with Jordan in January and discussions on green energy initiatives with Morocco, such as maritime port decarbonisation. She described the frequent accusation that such partnerships are focused solely on keeping migrants out of Europe as false. 'We don't impose anything. We don't have a template,' Ms Suica said. There has also been a measure of behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts, with the Israeli, Palestinian and Syrian foreign ministers sitting at the same table at a meeting in Brussels last week. In June, Ms Suica announced a €175 million aid package for Syria. She recalls being told during meetings with Syria's Finance Ministry and central bank governor that while the country was happy to see the EU return after the fall of the Assad regime, there was fear of European interference. 'We don't want to interfere, but we want to accompany you. We want to assist you,' she answered. On Palestine, the philosophy is the same, she said, pointing to its financial support for the PA. 'I cannot predict what will happen, but we are doing our best to achieve a two-state solution,' Ms Suica said.
