Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Dr. Kazuyuki Hamada, the former Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of Europe and the Middle East, on Sunday said he was looking forward to working with the new leadership of the United Arab Emirates.

Hamada offered his condolences following the death of United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and says the UAE leader set his country on a progressive path for the future.

Hamada believes that UAE’s new President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will take on the mission of pushing the UAE to the next level. “He has emerged as a driving force in space development projects and the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant,” Hamada pointed out. “It is encouraging for Japan to welcome the new president in developing relations with the Arab world.”

Hamada is president of the Research Institute for Future Technologies and has visited UAE many times to discuss future and futuristic projects. He noted how the country’s former leader was at the forefront of technological advances.

“President Khalifa led the development of the UAE and made significant contributions to raising the country’s international status,” Hamada said. “For more than 17 years, he focused on the potential of the UAE, promoted economic modernization and pushed the UAE into becoming one of the largest economies in the Middle East.”

“The UAE is an irreplaceable presence for Japan, especially in the energy sector, and President Khalifa focused on strengthening relations with Japan. His diplomatic skill was not the ‘power skill’ of wielding an energy source, but a more discreet skill of building a network of economic cooperation based on mutual understanding.

“He was enthusiastic about introducing transportation infrastructure, agriculture and space-related technologies from Japan. Under President Khalifa’s vision for the future, the UAE has been taking on the challenge of new businesses that will surprise the world.”

These new challenges included areas such as “flying taxis” to solve traffic jams and energy problems to the “Mars Scientific City” concept to solve human food problems. The UAE has already sent a spacecraft to Mars in addition to lunar surface exploration. UAE’s ambitions include the 100-year migration plan to Mars that aims to be realized by 2117.

“President Khalifa must be watching over this ‘space era of dreams and hopes’ from heaven,” Hamada said. “The view from Burj Khalifa, the world’s highest skyscraper in Dubai, is spectacular, and it seems to symbolize the UAE’s space programs for Mars and Venus.”