ABU DHABI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio on April 21 in Abu Dhabi, where the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and regional developments during Bio’s working visit to the United Arab Emirates. The talks focused on the economy, trade, investment, renewable energy and sustainability, according to official statements issued after the meeting.
The meeting took place less than three months after the two presidents witnessed the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the UAE and Sierra Leone in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 2. That agreement was signed by UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and Sierra Leone’s Minister of Trade and Industry Ibrahim Alpha Sesay as both governments moved to formalize a broader economic framework.
During the April 21 talks, the two leaders said the agreement provides an important structure for cooperation and for making use of available opportunities to support development partnerships between their countries. Official figures released in February put bilateral non-oil foreign trade at $153 million in 2025, giving the latest meeting a clearer economic context as both sides seek to deepen commercial links.
UAE Trade Pact Frames Talks
The two presidents also reviewed developments in the Middle East and what the UAE described as their serious implications for regional and international peace and security, as well as their effect on maritime security and the global economy. In the official UAE account of the meeting, Bio reiterated his condemnation of Iranian attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in the UAE and other countries in the region, saying such actions violate sovereignty and international law and undermine stability.
The Abu Dhabi meeting was attended by a wide group of senior UAE officials, underscoring the level of representation attached to the visit. Those present included Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in his capacity as chairman of the Presidential Court, as well as Saqr Ghobash, speaker of the Federal National Council, alongside other sheikhs, ministers and officials listed in the official readout.
Broader Cooperation Remains In Focus
The latest talks also followed positions set out in the joint statement issued after Bio’s February visit, when both sides said they wanted broader cooperation across AI, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, logistics and healthcare. That statement also recorded shared positions on international law, peaceful conflict resolution, water security, climate action and renewable energy, placing the April 21 meeting within a wider pattern of expanding engagement between the two governments.
By returning to those areas in the latest meeting, the two presidents kept the focus on issues already identified in earlier agreements and public statements while linking the bilateral agenda to current regional developments. In their official accounts, both sides framed the relationship around trade, investment, sustainability and coordination on wider security issues, keeping the Abu Dhabi talks closely tied to the process launched during the February visit. – By Content Syndication Services.
