ABU DHABI (ARABI ERIATES) (ITALPRESS) – The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, arrived yesterday evening in Abu Dhabi to start the state visit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) scheduled until 29 January between the capital of Egypt and Dubai. To welcome him to Zayed International Airport, the local authorities and the ambassador of Italy in the United Arab Emirates, Lorenzo Fanara, along with his wife, Sophie. President Mattarella, accompanied by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Edmondo Cirielli, has begun a visit confirming the consolidation of the cooperation between Italy and the United Arab Emirates, already strengthened by the recent visit to Rome of the President of the Emiratino. On that occasion, the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Mattarella at the Quirinale and the President of the Council, Giorgia Meloni, at Palazzo Chigi, during the Italian-Emirati Arabi USA entrepreneurial Forum, during which over forty bilateral agreements were announced for a total value of approximately $40 billion, confirming the convergence of interests and strategic cooperation between the two countries.
The rich presidential program, which alternates institutional meetings and cultural visits, will be launched this morning by the Great Sheikh Zayed Mosque, one of the main symbols of Hemiratin spirituality and national identity, as well as among the major Islamic religious complexes in the world. A majestic structure, which has 82 domes and over 1,000 marble columns, precious decorations in mother-of-pearl, gems and gold, as well as the largest handmade carpet in the world, is among the most representative elements of the complex. The visit will follow the most significant institutional moment, which will take place at the Qasr Al Watan Presidential Palace. Here Mattarella will be welcomed by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, beginning the official welcome ceremony, which provides military honors, the execution of the national anthems and the presentation of the delegations and, at the end, a meeting between the two leaders. The visit of the head of the state will then continue to the Saadiyat Cultural District, a pole that houses internationally renowned museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Natural History Museum, the National Museum Zayed and, from next year, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
This district, dedicated to culture, is a strategic pillar of Emiratina politics, designed to make the Emirates a hub for intercultural art and dialogue, and reflects the vision that considers culture an instrument of innovation and cooperation globally. Overall, the president will visit the National Museum Zayed, inaugurated last December on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of the United Arab Emirates Federation and dedicated to the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the Federation. The museum tells the story of the Emirates through an exhibition that combines archaeological finds, multimedia installations and immersive narratives, reflecting the vision of Zayed to unite tradition and modernity and promote national identity, as well as values of tolerance and international collaboration.
Subsequently, President Mattarella will go to the House of the Abramitic Family, a complex that houses the church of St. Francis of Assisi, the Synagogue Moses Ben Maimon and the Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque. The House was founded in 2019 following the Human Brotherhood Document for World Peace, signed in Abu Dhabi by Pope Francis and the Great Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, as a concrete symbol of interreligious dialogue and peaceful coexistence among different faiths. At the end of the visit, the head of the State will participate in the signing ceremony of the Stone, a tangible symbol of the commitment to tolerance, cooperation and brotherhood among peoples and religions, to promote coexistence, mutual respect and common initiatives between different religious communities, strengthening interreligious dialogue on a global scale.
The visit of Mattarella will continue to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, one of the main museums of the region, from monumental architecture and an area of about 24,000 square meters, which houses a vast collection of works of art from all over the world, from antiquity to contemporary art. Among its permanent galleries and temporary exhibitions, in dialogue with different cultures and civilizations, in line with the museum’s vision as a place of cultural sharing. Here the head of the state will visit the permanent collections and the temporary exhibition dedicated to Pablo Picasso. The first day of the visit of President Mattarella will end at the residence of the Ambassador of Italy, Lorenzo Fanara, where he will meet the representatives of the Italian academic and scientific world resident in the Emirates.
The head of the state will then head to Dubai, where tomorrow he will meet the Italian business community and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. The visit of State, between institutional moments and cultural stages, confirms the consolidation of bilateral cooperation and the role of Italy as a strategic partner of the United Arab Emirates, while enhancing the links with the large Italian community present in the country. More than 20 thousand compatriots live in the Emirates, most in Dubai, forming an important cultural and economic bridge between Italy and Emirates.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
