In Dubai, people like to say that the relationship between Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is “long, beautiful, solid”. Adjectives that are complemented by: “and destined to last”. Luxembourg and the UAE also have common interests in areas such as sustainable development, green finance, the exploitation of space resources, data technology, etc. Bilateral agreements already exist to foster collaboration. There is little doubt that others will be signed in the years to come.
Mutual respect
The three-day visit of Grand Duke Henri with foreign minister Jean Asselborn (LSAP), is highly appreciated, it is said behind the scenes. Although there have been numerous economic missions and high-level exchanges in the Emirates since 1980 and the establishment of official diplomatic relations, the head of state has not visited the Emirates since 2005, leaving his place to the crown prince in recent years.
The fact that he will be present at the closing ceremony of Expo 2020 is seen as “a respectful gesture from the sovereign of a partner country that is also a friendly country”.
On Monday, the grand duke first visited the Luxembourg pavilion of the World Expo in Dubai, which will close its doors at the end of this month. The magnificent building played its role perfectly: to be a showcase for the country thanks to a modern and efficient scenography. The place also quickly became a buzz on social networks thanks to the slide installed as a nod to the Schueberfouer fun fair. For a few seconds of sliding, some people queued for two hours last Sunday.
A visit at full speed
As a special event, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the Emirates and emir of Dubai, came in person to meet the grand duke and Asselborn. He came with two ministers--Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al Nahyan, who is in charge of tolerance and also the commissioner general of Expo 2020, and Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, minister of culture and youth--a suite of about fifteen people and a large security detail. All this for 10 minutes of discussion with the Luxembourg hosts, as they strolled through the rooms of the pavilion.
A discussion of which little or nothing will be known, since the privilege of following the emir was only granted to a small handful of people. “It’s very strict (all the staff of the pavilion had to pass a PCR test shortly beforehand for security reasons), very fast, and very closely supervised by those close to him, but we mustn’t neglect the symbolic importance of this visit, which is an immense privilege,” said a member of the Luxembourg delegation.
Louvre Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Zayed Mosque
After lunch at the Abu Dhabi embassy, with, among others, the UN Deputy Commissioner General for Expo 2020 and UN Resident Coordinator for the Emirates, Dena Assaf, and the European Ambassador and Commissioner General of the European Union, Andrea Matteo Fontana, the second part of the day was devoted to a visit to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a cultural jewel opposite which the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum is emerging and will be inaugurated in 2025.
Then to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the largest in the country and the ninth largest in the world. A further mark of respect: the prayer rooms and the large esplanade, which are generally closed to visitors, were exceptionally open to the Luxembourg guests. Minister Jean Asselborn was not present during these two cultural parts of the visit, as he had other obligations, notably in connection with the Russian-Ukrainian situation.
A visit to the Ukraine pavilion
On Tuesday, the Grand Duke will visit the Museum of the Future, following a more economic and political programme. Meetings are planned with the members of the Luxembourg@Expo2020 economic interest group, as well as with the pavilion sponsors. Several visits to other pavilions will then follow, including the United Arab Emirates, Japan (the next host country of the World Expo, for which Luxembourg has already made a commitment), as well as Singapore and Ukraine.
In the evening, a reception will be held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Emergency.lu. This system helps to establish or re-establish quality communications in crisis areas. It is currently being deployed in Poland, while humanitarian workers, recently trained for this purpose, are waiting to implement it in Ukraine.
This article was originally published in French by and has been translated and edited by Delano.