New York, September 26: Bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and other countries, the latest regional and international developments and other issues are the focus of meetings which Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is holding with top officials of some countries on the sidelines of the 64th United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York.
Regional and political issues of common concern, the latest developments in Lebanon and the formation of a new cabinet were discussed at Shaikh Abdulla’s meeting with Lebanese President Gen. Michel Suleiman on Friday.
Shaikh Abdullah’s meeting with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Minister for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Shah Mehmoud Qureshi discussed the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as regional and international security.
The UAE minister also held separate meetings with Estonian and Cypriot couterparts, Urmas Paet and Markos Kyprianou, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Abdul Rahman Al-Atiyya, and Foreign Ministers of GCC member-states met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov.
In statements following the meeting with Lavrov, Al-Atiyya said the two sides agreed on setting up a joint committee on political dialogue. He said the meeting discussed relations between Russia and the regional bloc.
The meeting with the Russian foreign minister, Al-Atiyya added, also discussed the developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iraq, Iran’s nuclear programme and other issues of common interest.
He further stressed that relations between GCC and Russia are distinct and hailed Russia’s “historic positions on all Arab causes.”
–Agencies