General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, on ways to boost the bilateral relations and co-operation between the two friendly countries. The two sides also tackled the latest developments in the region and issues of mutual interest. During the meeting, held at the presidential palace in Moscow, Sheikh Mohammed conveyed the regards of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to President Putin and his wishes to the Russian people for more progress and prosperity. The Russian president welcomed the visit of Sheikh Mohammed, expressing the hope that the visit would promote bilateral ties in the best interest of the two countries. For his part, Sheikh Mohammed said that the UAE, led by Sheikh Khalifa, “is keen on building a stronger cooperation, scientific, economic, trade and investment partnership with the Federal Republic of Russia based on mutual respect, cooperation and continuous coordination to achieve our joint strategic interests.” He expressed the hope that the visit would be fruitful, noting that the economic relations with Russia have developed, especially after Russia had adopted policies of economic openness and regulations that encourage the flow of investments. The meeting also tackled the existing strategic dialogue between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council for Arab States (GCC). The two sides stressed their keenness on continuous co-ordination over the regional and international issues of concern to both sides. President Putin expressed his pleasure at the growing ties between the two countries, stressing the importance of strengthening co-operation in the areas of joint investments. The two sides reiterated they were looking forward to strengthening the co-operation and bilateral action to open up more opportunities in all fields of development. Regarding the latest regional developments, Sheikh Mohammed said that “the region is experiencing a critical situation that requires concerted regional and international efforts to restore peace and stability in the region,” adding that the UAE supports any attempt that would restore peace and stability in the region. At the conclusion of the talks, which broke for an official lunch, President Putin conveyed his regards and best wishes to the UAE President, also extending his hopes for more progress and prosperity to the UAE people. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov and Omer Saif Ghobash, UAE Ambassador to Russia, attended the meeting. The banquet hosted by the Russian President in honour of Sheikh Mohammed was attended by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, Khaldoun Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority, Staff Major General Eisa Saif Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Deputy Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court and the UAE Ambassador to Russia, as well as a number of Russian ministers and senior officials.