• In a speech broadcast live to the nation on Wednesday, he highlighted issues such as energy security, diversification, and building a bright future for Emirati youth
• He was speaking two months after he was elected the third president of the UAE, following the death of his half brother, Sheikh Khalifa

Dana Alomar

DUBAI: Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the president of the UAE, said on Wednesday that the country will continue to serve as a reliable provider of energy and help to drive global economic growth through its support for energy security.

During a speech broadcast live on local television and radio stations at 6 p.m. local time, he added that further diversification of the nation’s economy is a key strategic focus of the UAE’s future plans, and that more than 200 nationalities actively contribute to the growth and development of the nation.

Speaking two months after he was elected president following the death of his half brother, Sheikh Khalifa, Sheikh Mohammed outlined his country’s strategic plans and ambitions for the coming decades. He said that the UAE’s advanced, sustainable and integrated ecosystem has become an inspiration for people around the world and he will ensure this continues.

He pledged that in keeping with the example set by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, his father and the founding president of the UAE, the country will continue to provide humanitarian aid and extend assistance to communities in need globally. The UAE will also continue to build on its reputation by establishing strategic partnerships with other countries, he added.

Although a young nation, founded in 1971, the UAE has achieved a great deal, Sheikh Mohammed said, and its main responsibility is ensuring a bright future for its youth.

“Our primary goal is the UAE and its people,” he added.

Sheikh Zayed, who died in 2004, laid solid foundations for the country when he founded it, Sheikh Mohammed said, and the UAE will redouble its efforts to maintain its status and achieve even more.