David Schenker, Assistant Secretary of Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, lauded U.S.-U.A.E. collaboration , particularly in combatting Covid-19 , during a virtual fireside chat hosted by the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council on May 20th. This videoconference was part of the Business Council’s webinar series titled, “Looking Ahead: Conversations with U.S. and U.A.E. Business and Government Leaders”.

Almost a year after assuming his position, the Assistant Secretary  took the opportunity to engage in substantive dialogue on the U.S.-U.A.E. bilateral relationship and U.S. government priorities in the U.A.E. and overall region.

Mr. Danny Sebright, President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, welcomed attendees to the call and introduced Assistant Secretary David Schenker. The Assistant Secretary began by lauding the “level of resilience and creativity of the U.A.E. government as it combats the Covid-19 pandemic”. He then praised the strength of existing U.S.-U.A.E. political and economic relations and provided an overview of  key areas of cooperation,  including recent collaboration on Covid-19. 

He then  discussed a wide variety of topics pertaining to the U.A.E. and the region writ large , ranging from tensions with Iran, to the ongoing GCC rift, to recent developments surrounding China, Libya and Yemen. Business Council members also learned more about the upcoming U.S.-U.A.E. Economic Policy Dialogue (EPD),  which seeks to build on the current foundation of $24.4 billion in total trade between the two countries.

Noting that U.S.-U.A.E. relations are also underpinned by shared values, the Assistant Secretary praised the U.A.E. for its longstanding partnership with the U.S. as well as the country’s commitment to religious freedom and tolerance. 

The video call was attended by 250 senior executives from leading American and Emirati defense & aerospace, finance, technology, aviation, healthcare, and logistics companies as well as by U.S. and U.A.E. government officials.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the Business Council launched a webinar series titled, “Looking Ahead: Conversations with U.S. and U.A.E. Business and Government Leaders.” U.A.E. Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba and U.S. Ambassador John Rakolta Jr. launched this series with separate discussions surrounding the economic impacts of Covid-19. The Council subsequently conducted events with H.E. Waleed Al Muhairi from Mubadala Investment Company, Sir Tim Clark and Mr. Tony Douglas from Emirates and Etihad, healthcare technology leaders, leading law firm Morgan Lewis, prominent American technology companies, the CEO of Dubai FDI H.E. Fahad Al Gergawi, and the Minister of State for Food Security H.E. Mariam Almheiri.