Abu Dhabi, May 2 (IANS) UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reaffirming his country’s support to achieve a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war, media reported.
During the phone conversation on Thursday, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen cooperation within the framework of their strategic partnership, Xinhua news agency reported.
President Mohamed bin Zayed thanked the Russian President for Moscow’s cooperation in making previous mediation efforts successful, emphasising the UAE’s commitment to continuing its humanitarian engagement in the war.
President Putin expressed his appreciation for the UAE’s successful mediation in the prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine last month.
He praised the UAE’s consistent and constructive efforts in the humanitarian domain.
On April 19, the UAE announced that its mediation efforts had led to the largest prisoner exchange since the conflict began.
The exchange involved 246 Ukrainian and 246 Russian prisoners, as well as the repatriation of 31 wounded Ukrainian and 15 wounded Russian soldiers, bringing the total number of prisoners exchanged through UAE mediation to 3,771.
Earlier on March 24, the UAE President received a phone call from President Putin during which they discussed bilateral cooperation and ways to strengthen ties.
The conversation took place within the framework of the strategic partnership between the two countries and as part of efforts to serve their mutual interests. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further enhancing these ties across multiple sectors for the benefit of their people.
During the call, Putin expressed his appreciation to the UAE President for the successful mediation efforts undertaken by the UAE in recent months to facilitate the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine — the most recent of which took place earlier this March.
UAE President Al Nahyan, in turn, thanked the Russian government for its cooperation with the UAE in this regard in playing a vital role in the success of the initiative.
He also reiterated the UAE’s commitment to continuing its efforts in this important humanitarian domain and its support for all endeavours aimed at facilitating a peaceful resolution to the crisis while mitigating its humanitarian impact.
The two leaders also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern. In this context, Al Nahyan reaffirmed the UAE’s consistent approach of supporting peace and stability around the world, as well as promoting peaceful solutions and initiatives to resolve conflicts.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that it marked the 14th successful mediation undertaken by the UAE during the conflict, reflecting the country’s strong ties with both sides.
–IANS
int/khz
