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On Sunday, the Dutch royal trio – Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima – began their two day state visit to the United Arab Emirates. They arrived the previous night, but began their agenda Sunday.
 Click here for recent pics of Queen Beatrix The royals were greeted at the Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE. There was a 21 gun salute in honor of the Queen, her son and daughter in law.
An exchange of honors took place between the Sheikh and Her Majesty. His Highness the Sheikh gave Beatrix the Order of Zayed, one of the United Arab Emirates’ highest civil decorations given to kings and heads of state. In return the Queen gave him one of the Netherlands’ highest orders.
Also on Sunday, the Dutch royals toured the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The Queen donned a long black dress and wore a blue scarf over her hat while Princess Maxima wore a caftan and a headscarf. This caused a bit of a uproar back in the Netherlands.
“Not to have worn one during a visit to a mosque wasn’t an option. In that case, the invitation to visit to the mosque, one of the most important in the United Arab Emirates, would have to have been refused,” explained Foreign Minister Ufi Rosenthal.
However, the Freedom Party (PVV) led by Geert Wilders, complained that Beatrix was legitimizing Islam’s oppression of women. In response, Green Left MP Tofik Dibi, called Wilders’ comments a waste of time.
For Monday, the royals the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and met with officials and senior managements of companies that specialize in oil and petroleum. Since the Netherlands have their own oil industry – Shell – this was an obvious part of their agenda.
The Dutch trio then went to Masdar, where they met with Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, for a round table discussion on tightening Dutch-UAE relations.
“This meeting builds on an historic relationship,” said the Sheikha. “Trade was always considered the most important factor for relations between the Netherlands and the UAE, and these ties continue to become stronger today. In fact, most people would be surprised to know that the Netherlands’ ties with the Arab world date back more than three centuries.”
That concluded the Dutch state visit to the UAE. Tuesday will see the same trio go to Oman for another state visit.
This visit was historic for Queen Beatrix. This was her 50th state visit since her ascension to the throne in 1980.
Sources: Khaleej Times, Radio Netherlands, WAM, Dutch News
On Thursday, King Mohammed VI of Morocco saw the future of his country’s tourism sector grow brighter when royals from the Gulf states signed an agreement to set up Morocco’s Tourism Investment Authority.
 Click here to learn more Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi signed the agreement, along with Kuwait’s Financial Minister Sheikh Mustafa Jassim al Shamali during a ceremony in Rabat.
The Director General of the Moroccan Fund for Tourism Development, Tarik Senhaji, pointed out during the event that having the Gulf nations invest in the North African kingdom’s tourism industry displayed the mutual trust between Morocco and those countries.
After the signing of the agreement, the royals and other delegates were briefed on two locations to be developed into tourism attractions. One was Ouarzazate which is south-east of Rabat. That place already attracts filmmakers, and will eventually have hotels, golf courses and a museum.
The other location is Oukaimden, near Marrakesh, which will also have golf courses and hotels, but also a ski resort.
In addition to agreeing to invest in the Moroccan tourism sector, Qatar Emir Sheikh Hamad signed three other bilateral agreement with King Mohammed VI. They were to set up a Moroccan-Qatari investment firm, collaborate in the mining sector and putting in an addendum to a 1987 agreement for Moroccans working and living in Qatar.
Source: Maghreb Arabe Presse
Since Sunday, Luxembourg’s Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume has been on an official tour of the United Arab Emirates. He is there for both an economic mission and to open his country’s 35th embassy in Abu Dhabi.
 Click here for more photos The embassy is the first one in any Arab country. Usually in nations that do not have a Luxembourg embassy have to rely either on a Dutch or Belgian one to deal with the tiny Grand Duchy. Guillaume opened that embassy on Sunday with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“The well-maintained bilateral relations between both countries for over 40 years now, will be strengthened further through business and trade activities,” said Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, who added that the establishment of the embassy is “long overdue”.
Also attending the inauguration was Sheikha Lubna Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Minister of Foreign Trade of the UAE. She and Guillaume met to discuss bilateral economic and trade issues.
Next stop was Dubai. There, His Royal Highness met with Sheikh Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum, a member of the emirate’s ruling family. Again, there were talks over bilateral ties.
Also in Dubai, the Luxembourg delegation went to the Big 5 Show, International Fair of Construction and Building. Ten Luxembourg business representatives met with hundreds of visitors.
Next stop was Ras Al-Khaimah where the Hereditary Grand Duke was welcomed by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, who rules the emirate. The two discussed ways for Luxembourg to broaden its ties with Ras Al-Khaimah. Speaking to reporters, the Sheikh said, “The economic diversification program implemented by the government has created a fairly diversified economy in the emirate which has strived to espouse an economic vision of openness to become relevant in a rapidly evolving and interconnected global economy.”
After touring the United Arab Emirates, Guillaume will stop by Qatar once again for his economic mission there.
Sources: Wort, Le Ministere de l’Economique et du Commerce exterieur, Khaleej Times
Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria began her four day visit to the United Arab Emirates Monday. Her official visit consists of going to four of the seven emirates, meeting with sheikhs, touring medical facilities and promoting Swedish products.
 KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Images She started her trip by attending the opening day of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, where she was its keynote speaker.
“I am delighted to once again visit the United Arab Emirates,” Victoria began her speech. “Additionally, to be given the opportunity to take part in the World Future Energy Summit is a great honor for me. I would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, for hosting this important Summit.”
The Crown Princess went on to discuss renewable energy and eco-friendly technology in Sweden.
“My country, Sweden has the highest share of renewable energy within the European Union. Both Sweden and Europe have high ambitions to further increase our share of renewable energy by 2020. In the area of green technology and sustainable cities, Sweden has well developed and extensive district heating networks, which can use the local available energy sources such as waste heat and other renewables. Heating may not be the most dire need here in the United Arab Emirates but the same principle may be used in the district cooling networks, which I know are more useful in this region. So one could say, that cooling is a hot issue.
“Furthermore, over the past decades the economy in Sweden has continued to grow. This growth has occurred at the same time as our energy efficiency and share of renewable energy have increased significantly. But nothing happens in isolation — we need to work across national borders. We have many things in common and important lessons to learn from each other. Both success stories and mistakes are of value in this process.”
Victoria then talked about how all members of society need to play a role in creating an environmentally aware community. She even pointed out that such action takes individual responsibility in order to make it happen.
“To be able to meet the long term challenges of climate change and also to address global and regional energy challenges, we need to work closely together,” Victoria said as she closed her speech.
Following her opening of the summit, the Crown Princess then officially opened the Swedish pavilion at the location, and attended a panel with young future energy leaders.
Later on, she visited the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Masdar Institute and inaugurated the Swedish SymbioCity Office at Masdar City. Crown Princess Victoria also opened the new IKEA store on Yas Island.
Tuesday saw her go to Dubai, where she went to the Swedish LEED Platinum certified ESAB facilities in Jebel Ali Free Zone and stopped by the Scandinavian Seaman’s Center.
On Wednesday, Victoria will go to Ajman and visit the Rashid Centre for Diabetes and Research which is working in cooperation with Swedish Global Health Partners.
As for Thursday, Victoria will end her visit by going to the Fujairah emirate and see the EWW-WWF Wadi Wurayah Mountain Protected Area.
It is not known why her husband, Prince Daniel, did not accompany her on this trip.
Sources: Kungehuset.se, Embassy of Sweden Abu Dhabi
The Queen of the U.K. recently finished a state visit to the United Arab Emirates, which began on Tuesday. This was her first time visiting the Persian Gulf state since 1979. Along with her husband, Prince Philip, and second son, Prince Andrew, the Queen sought to broaden the already close links between Great Britain and the UAE.
 WPA Pool - John Stillwell/Getty Images After landing in Abu Dhabi, the Queen and her entourage were greeted by the emirate’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Soon after, Her Majesty was given a tour of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. She wore a scarf around her hat and removed her shoes out of respect. As she walked, the Queen was fascinated by the mosque’s floor designs, which have mosaic floral designs. A crowd gathered to see the monarch, releasing an audible “wow” as they caught a glimpse of her.
While at the mosque, Queen Elizabeth, her husband and son, went to the tomb of the father of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. She also listened to students reciting the Quran.
The next day, the British delegation attended a UAE – UK partnership ceremony. UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the British Foreign Secretary William Hague signed at the ceremony the “Abu Dhabi Declaration 2010″ reaffirming the UAE-UK Friendship treaty signed in 1971 that asserted that the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom will, in times of need, will consult each other on matters of close to each other’s interests.
The UAE is a collection of seven emirates that united in 1971 after gaining full independence from the UK.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York said: “I think you have to look back to the fact this is a long-standing relationship between the UAE and the United Kingdom which reaches back over 40 years when the UAE was a protectorate.
 John Stillwell - Pool/Getty Images “A lot of work has gone on in the intervening period. Since the new [UK] government came in there’s been an increased level of concern for this particular region in terms of investment, in terms of business opportunities.
“This has been reciprocated by the UAE and other countries in the region.”
Also while in the UAE, Queen Elizabeth unveiled the Zayed National Museum with the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. She even gave orders to the Sheikh as well as the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi Thursday at a state banquet at Mushrif Palace. The latter Sheikh received the Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, GCB, while the Dubai Sheikh got the Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George, GCMG.
Starting Thursday, the Queen and the British delegation will go to Oman for a three day state visit. I will keep you posted on that one.
Source: Emirates News Agency, Gulf News
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi began his three day official visit to South Korea by invitation of President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday. The point of his trip is to strengthen ties between the United Arab Emirates and the east Asian nation as they celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations. 
As part of his official visit, Mohammed toured landmarks and facilities in Korea, one of them being the Doosan Group for Heavy Industries and Construction manufacturing plant to get an idea of the country’s nuclear energy.
“The UAE’s peaceful nuclear program is a step forward in the UAE’s comprehensive development strategy due to its positive and promising aspects, which will complement the UAE’s constant development,” the Crown Prince told reporters.
He also toured the Shin Kori power plant which is working on a Generation III reactor. A similar reactor will soon be built in the UAE.
Crown Prince Mohammed praised South Korea’s nuclear sector for being environmentally safe, and he hoped for the same when his country gets its own nuclear facilities.
“There is a growing need for safe and reliable sources of alternative and clean energy that will meet the increasing requirements for development and serve the rapid population and urban growth,” Mohammed said, adding that he hoped UAE-South Korea ties will also include nuclear energy.
Sources: WAM, Gulf News
The brother of the President of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of Abu Dhabi, was laid to rest on Wednesday. In accordance to Muslim tradition, Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan was buried a day after his body was recovered from a Moroccan lake where the glider he was flying in crashed on Friday.
 Reuters/WAM/Handout In Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh’s body was brought into Sheikh Zayed Mosque on a stretcher with the UAE flag covering it. Ahmed’s brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, along with an imam, led the prayers during the funeral. The mosque is the same one built by Ahmed’s father, and it is where his father lies.
Afterwards, the stretcher was carried out of the mosque and brought to an ambulance. The vehicle than drove away to bury Sheikh Ahmed in a nearby cemetery.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Khalifa received condolences from the rulers of the other emirates and government officials.
Since the death of his brother, Khalifa has received condolences cables from all over the world, including King Mohammed VI of Morocco, King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan of Saudi Arabia, and King Juan Carlos of Spain.
Now the question is what will become of Sheikh Ahmed’s Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the world’s largest sovereign fund. TIME magazine is reporting that there will be power struggle between the Sheikh’s 17 brothers, especially with Crown Prince Mohammed’s powerful clique. The magazine says Ahmed’s ADIA was one area in Abu Dhabi’s economy not controlled by Mohammed. Christopher M. Davidson, senior lecturer at Durham University and author of Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond, suggests the Crown Prince and his brothers are likely to move on ADIA. “Then they will control virtually all of Abu Dhabi’s economy,” he told TIME.
 Reuters/WAM/Handout Davidson also says that the Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, may put his hopes on son-in-law, Sheikh Mansour, who is one of the Crown Prince’s full brothers. “Dubai will be hoping that whoever replaces [Sheikh Ahmed] will be someone who is more open to assisting Dubai, rather than this drip-feed of financial assistance Abu Dhabi has been giving Dubai, little by little, humiliating them every step of the way,” Davidson said.
But at the same time, one of Ahmed’s full blooded brothers may succeed him, particularly elder brother Saif, who is the Interior Minister. Also, Sheikh Khalifa might want to place one of his own sons in charge of ADIA.
Whoever will take over for Ahmed will reflect the power structure within Abu Dhabi’s ruling family as well as the UAE.
Source: AFP, TIME magazine
The body of an Abu Dhabi Sheikh was found in a Moroccan lake Tuesday morning, after his glider crashed into it four days ago.
 REUTERS/WAM/Handout Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan’s remains were recovered after a rescue search involving about 225 people from four different countries, according to Morocco’s state media. The Sheikh was 41 years old.
In the United Arab Emirates, state television was interrupted with readings from the Koran and banners reading, “Sheikh Ahmed…is in the care of God.” The state news agency WAM announced the country will have three days of mourning starting Wednesday, for the younger brother of the President of the UAE and the head of a sovereign fund that made him one of the most powerful people in the world.
Sheikh Ahmed’s the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), is one of the world’s biggest sovereign funds. The news agency Reuters says it is believed ADIA has assets of between $500 billion and $700 billion. It gets its funds from the UAE’s oil exports.
Last year, the Sheikh was ranked as number 27 on Forbes magazine’s most powerful people list.
Despite his influence, Ahmed was elusive to the media, rarely gave interviews and did not particularly care for being called “Your Highness.”
“He was extremely well respected as part of the work he did for ADIA and it was expected that he would play a vital role in the future development of the emirate as a leading member of the ruling family,” a source told Reuters.
The ruling family of Abu Dhabi owned property in Morocco. It was likely Sheikh Ahmed was vacationing there when he was in his glider over the artificial lake formed from the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah Dam. When the glider crashed, the pilot was rescued but no trace of the Sheikh was found until Tuesday.
Ahmed was the son of the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan. He worked for ADIA as an analyst before assuming its head. Though the younger brother of the current Abu Dhabi ruler and President of the UAE, Ahmed was not in line to the emirate.
Experts say ADIA will remain within the al-Nahyan family. A successor could be named in about a week.
Source: Reuters
The brother of the leader of the United Arab Emirates is still missing after his glider went down over an artificial lake in Morocco Friday. Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the managing director of the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund which is owned by Abu Dhabi.
“Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahayan…was in a crash of a glider which was airborne in Morocco. The pilot was rescued and is in good condition. The search for His Highness is still continuing,” WAM, the UAE’s state news agency, said in a statement.
The search could be difficult because of recent heavy rains that have risen water levels.
The glider went down near the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah Dam, which forms the fake lake. It is located near the Atlantic coastal town of Skhirat, south of the capital city of Rabat.
Sheikh Ahmed was likely spending time at one of his family’s homes in Morocco, a place where he owns several properties.
Al Nahyan is in his early 40s, and is the younger brother of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Forbes magazine once ranked him as number 27 in its world’s most powerful people list. Despite his wealth and power, Sheikh Ahmed has been described as “elusive” and gives very few interviews.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the wealth fund he runs, has not responded to any of the media’s requests for comments.
On Monday, royals from three countries were among the participants in the World Future Energy Summit, taking place in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, Spain and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan took part in the event, which focuses on finding ways to create environmentally friendly products in an increasingly energy reliant world.
 Haider Yousuf/Getty Images Crown Prince Felipe of Spain gave a speech to open the summit. Before he went in depth on the event, he gave his condolences to the people of Haiti. “The sheer magnitude of tragic human loss and general devastation is very hard to conceive and makes for such a prompt and generous large scale multinational effort in emergency and humanitarian relief that is currently. We wish that this will be sustained in all fields to help Haitians regain hope and put their country back on its feet as soon as possible”
After paying homage to the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, the Crown Prince then discussed the summit and how the world could benefit from it.
“In the energy sector, interdependence has become an even more pressing issue. Major energy sources are geographically concentrated. Transport and distribution infrastructures often require transnational agreements. Moreover, greenhouse gases, wherever their origin, affect the environmental balance all over the planet.
“Such growing interdependence explains why international cooperation and, especially, multilateralism are so important in the energy sector; hence the high value of jointly analysing the energy challenges of the future at this Summit. Although interdependence means sharing our problems, fortunately it also means working together on to solve them.
“Therefore I am very pleased to underline how the development of renewable energy is offering the international community a course of action able to reconcile the demands of future economic growth with the necessary respect of the environment,” Felipe said.
 Haider Yousuf/Getty Images Next, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark delivered his speech. He spoke out the environment and his account with climate change.
“The impact of climate change is global, but the signs are more evident in extreme climatic areas, for example, the Arctic,” he said. “Greenland holds a special place in my heart. From my first meeting with Greenland and the Greenlandic people to my 3 months expedition with dog sledges covering more than 2000 km along the northern and north-eastern coastline during spring. A grueling expedition that honored the way the Greenlandic people have always travelled and survived. Since then my visits have been regular, the last with my cousins and colleagues Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. A visit that again illustrated that Climate change is changing the way the Greenlandic people live. Hunting and Fishing are their primary sources of income and food and this is being threatened by rising temperatures. For me, this is a clear example of the necessity to adapt. How are we as a global community able to adapt in order to combat the negative impact of climate change? How can we adapt by rethinking our use and conservation of energy? Tough questions….questions that are to be addressed in the course of this Summit.”
Frederik than used his country as an example of how new forms of energy can be used.
“In Denmark the oil crisis of the ‘70s pushed us to search for alternative energy solutions. Over the last 30 years, we have had an economic growth of 78 %, but almost zero growth in energy consumption. And 28% of our electricity supply comes from renewable sources such as wind and biomass. It proves that economic prosperity and climate friendly solutions can co-exist.
“Denmark has shown that no country is too small to become a leader within green and clean technology and providing solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”
The royals were then given a tour of the many vehicles, computers and other products on display.
The World Future Energy Summit ended today. The royals involved left Abu Dhabi the day the summit began.
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