The UAE will join Saudi Arabia in celebrating the Kingdom's 90th National Day on Wednesday. The UAE's official and public participation in this year's celebration, held under the slogan, "Together Forever", confirms the deep ties between the two countries. Throughout history, the relations between the two countries have guaranteed the security of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Arab countries, in light of their shared views on the region's affairs and their cooperation in addressing the challenges facing the Middle East, most notably combatting extremism, terrorism and foreign interventions. The historic ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia were officially consolidated by the efforts of the late leaders: Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and King Faisal, who were keen to establish their coordination and cooperation. Their bilateral ties, under the leadership of President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, were advanced to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Over the few past years, the two countries united their efforts and consolidated their overall bilateral integration, in light of a clear vision represented by the Al Azm (Determination) Strategy, the outcomes of the "Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council" and "Operation Decisive Storm." The strong relations between the two countries have helped maintain the security and stability of the region and the entire world, especially as their related efforts are full of initiatives aimed at settling Arab disputes and supporting Arab countries. Their relations have also witnessed progress, through the establishment of a joint supreme committee in May 2014 chaired by their ministers of foreign affairs, which implemented the strategic visions of their leaderships to address the challenges facing the region. In 2016, the two countries signed an agreement to establish a joint coordination council, which holds consultations on issues of mutual concern. In June 2018, the UAE and Saudi Arabia reinforced their bilateral ties to unprecedented levels and announced a comprehensive mutual vision of integration in economic, development and military areas, through 44 joint strategic projects under the framework of the Al Azm Strategy, with the participation of 350 officials from 139 Emirati and Saudi authorities. Their economic and commercial partnership is also a model of cooperation and solidarity. Saudi Arabia is the leading Arab trade partner of the UAE and its third international trading partner, accounting for 7 percent of the UAE's international non-oil trade. The total foreign non-oil trade between the two countries totaled AED107.4 billion ($29.4 billion) in 2018. The value of Saudi investments in the UAE amounts to AED35 billion while the number of Emirati projects in Saudi Arabia is around 114, and Saudi projects in the UAE No. 206. The two countries have the two largest Arab economies and are among the top 10 exporters in the world, with a total export size of nearly $750 billion in 2018. The UAE and Saudi Arabia produced two-thirds of Arab non-oil goods exported to the world in 2018, as per data from the World Trade Centre, and are ranked the sixth in terms of merchandise exports, according to the figures of the World Trade Organization in 2018. Tourism in both countries is a key promising sector that creates investment opportunities. Their cultural ties reflect the geographic and social connection between their peoples, reinforced through several channels, such as the education sector, with Emirati students studying in schools in Makkah, Ahsa and Riyadh, and Emirati universities and institutes receiving many Saudi students. — WAM
