The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Puneet Talwar in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. The closed-door event brought senior American and Emirati government officials together with business executives and think-tank experts to hear Assistant Secretary Talwar’s perspectives on the U.S.-U.A.E. strategic relationship, bilateral defense trade, and opportunities for closer U.S.-U.A.E. collaboration.

“Defense trade is a cornerstone of our relationship, fostering closer ties between our two militaries, building the capabilities of a key partner, and furthering U.S. foreign policy objectives in the region,” said Assistant Secretary Talwar.

Following an introduction from Sebright, Assistant Secretary Talwar delivered keynote remarks outlining his views of the current and future trajectory of the U.S.-U.A.E. relationship. Throughout his comments, Assistant Secretary Talwar expressed a personal commitment to enhancing transparency and collaboration between the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs and U.S. industry.

“One of my foremost priorities is to enhance U.S. national security through defense trade,” said Assistant Secretary Talwar.

After Assistant Secretary Talwar’s remarks, Sebright opened the floor for a question and answer session. The event provided the audience with an opportunity to engage Assistant Secretary Talwar directly on key issues affecting business in the U.A.E., as well as the broader Middle East North Africa region.

“As Assistant Secretary Talwar noted, the U.A.E. is a key partner in the maintenance of regional stability necessary to allow global trade and transportation routes to operate safely; with U.S.-U.A.E. industrial transparency and interoperability increasingly important in the face of growing shared threats to security,” said Sebright. “Today’s event also provided an opportunity to honor the U.A.E.’s significant role in the U.S.-led global coalition against extremism and strong support from government leaders like Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba here in the U.S. – truly remarkable and important to the campaign’s success.”