ABU DHABI – Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, was honored with the 'Order of Zayed,' the highest civilian award of the United Arab Emirates. On behalf of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces, conferred the award on the Crown Prince during a reception at Qasr Al Watan, the Presidential Palace, here on Tuesday. The Order of Zayed, which is bestowed on world leaders, including kings, presidents and heads of state, was awarded to the Crown Prince in appreciation of his outstanding contributions in further strengthening the deep-rooted and historic bilateral relations between the two countries. The UAE's highest civilian decoration is named after its first President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan. The Crown Prince arrived in Abu Dhabi for a two-day state visit to UAE on the second leg of his current GCC tour that took him to Oman. During the session of talks, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed discussed aspects of further strengthening fraternal relations between the two countries and reviewed opportunities for expanding partnership in diverse fields. They also exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments and the efforts being made by both the countries toward these issues. During the meeting, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman offered the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan while Sheikh Mohammed conveyed the greetings of President Sheikh Khalifa to King Salman. Earlier, up on arrival at the Presidential Airport, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman was received by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed. Then, the Crown Prince headed in an official procession to Qasr Al Watan, where he was accorded an official welcome with a 21-gun salute. He also inspected the guard of honor.
