Foreign relations of the United Arab Emirates
Since the establishment of the United Arab Emirates on 2 December 1971, the UAE adopted a balanced foreign policy based on adoption of dialogue, respect of international conventions, commitment to the United Nations Charter and non-interference of other country's internal affairs, and the settlement of disputes by peaceful means. One of the main anchorers of the UAE’s foreign policy has been building cooperation-based relations with all countries of the world. Substantial development assistance has increased the UAE's stature among recipient states. Most of this foreign aid has been to Arab and Muslim countries.
Multilateral relations
UAE has joined the United Nations and the Arab League and has established diplomatic relations with more than 60 countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Russia, India, Nepal, United States, and most Western European countries. It has played a moderate role within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, the United Nations, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.The UAE believes that the Arab League needs to be restructured to become a viable institution, and would like to increase the strength and interoperability of the GCC defense forces.
The UAE is a member of the following international organizations: UN and several of its specialized agencies ; World Bank, IMF, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OPEC, Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
In October 2010, the UAE was granted observer status at the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie
Africa
Americas
Asia
Europe
The UAE’s liberal climate towards foreign cooperation, investment and modernization have prompted extensive commercial ties with western countries, and subsequently resulting in even closer cultural relations. The country remains a major global tourist and foreign direct investment destination but a few countries play a more significant role than the rest.| Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
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| See Denmark–United Arab Emirates relations | ||
| See France–United Arab Emirates relationsThe UAE’s relationship with France has been strategically important as it negotiated a defence cooperation agreement and remains one of the country’s primary providers of military material. France and the UAE have signed a defence cooperation agreement in order to diversity its procurement from solely the US. Culturally, as the Sorbonne and Louvre are both establishing extensions in the UAE, a plan is in the works to recreate a miniature Lyon city in Dubai complete with public squares, restaurants and museums. On 25 May 2009, the French president Nicolas Sarkozy visited the UAE, Abu Dhabi where he along with UAE's president H.H Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan formally opened a French military base in the United Arab Emirates. This would become France's first permanent base in the Persian Gulf, hosting up to 500 French troops. In addition to the inauguration of Peace Camp, Nicolas Sarkozy visited the site of a Louvre Museum branch which France is opening in the United Arab Emirates. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that the co-operation with France is a top priority for the UAE's foreign policy. | ||
Diplomatic relations between Georgia and the UAE were initiated on 20 October 1992. The countries are represented in each other through embassies. | ||
| See Germany–United Arab Emirates relations German exports amount to 5.84 billion Euros. German companies significantly contribute to the UAE’s ongoing infrastructure projects and play a leading role in the country’s alternative energy developments. Consequently, German Business Park, an area designed to house several of the already seven hundred present companies and their logistical needs, is in the midst of construction. | ||
See Greece–United Arab Emirates relations
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| 14 October 2008 | See Kosovo–United Arab Emirates relations | |
| North Macedonia has an embassy in Abu Dhabi. | ||
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| See Serbia–United Arab Emirates relationsRelations between Serbia and the United Arab Emirates have flourished in recent years. Serbia has an embassy in Abu Dhabi, and the UAE has an embassy in Belgrade. The UAE is now one of the top sources of FDI for Serbia. | ||
See Spain–United Arab Emirates relations
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| See United Arab Emirates–United Kingdom relationsTraditionally, links between the sheikhs of the lower Gulf and the United Kingdom were close as a result of a series of 19th-century maritime truces for the suppression of piracy. Since the British withdrew their military forces from the Persian Gulf in 1971, relations have remained friendly while the UAE has reorientated its foreign policy away from the former "colonial" relationship to one based on trade. Economically, the UAE is the UK’s largest export market for non-military goods in the Middle East. |
Oceania
International disputes
- Location and status of boundary with Saudi Arabia is not final, de facto boundary reflects 1974 agreement; no defined boundary with most of Oman, but Administrative Line in far north;
- Claims three islands in the Persian Gulf that are part of Iran's territory: Lesser Tunb and Greater Tunb ;
- Claims island in the Persian Gulf administered by Iran - over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island;
- On 20 July 2020, a campaign group for non-religious people, “Channel Islands Humanists” criticized the Government of Jersey to boost economic ties and trade with United Arab Emirates. The group said, UAE has been widely criticized for ‘arbitrary arrests and detentions’, participating in human rights abuses committed in Yemen war and persecuting religious minorities as well as the LGBT community.
Illicit drugs