Thursday, October 30, 2014
DUBAI,(Xinhua) -- United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan pledged on Wednesday that the Gulf state will remain committed to maritime security against piracy, state news agency WAM reported.
The minister made the pledge at the 4th annual counter piracy conference, which is attended by ministers from countries affected by piracy, including Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, the foreign minister of Bangladesh, the Seychelles minister for home affairs and transport Joel Morgan, as well as the Tanzanian foreign minister, Bernard Membe, and Abdirahman Duale Beyle, the minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation of Somalia.
During the meetings, they discussed regional and international efforts to combat maritime piracy. In his speech at the conference, Bin Zayed paid special tribute to Somalia which suffered most from piracy in the last decade.
He said Somalia is a vital partner in the efforts of the international community to fight piracy. "I commend his government on its progress in bringing peace and prosperity to the people of Somalia and in re-establishing justice and the rule of law in places where it has been absent for too long. The UAE will continue to support you in meeting these challenges."
"Through our combined efforts, we have made remarkable progress, reducing the number of successful attacks over the last two years to zero." However, he added, there is cause for concern elsewhere, such as the Gulf of Guinea and Indonesia.
"As groups like Daesh (the so-called Islamic State groups) develop ties with criminal networks and arms networks, it is essential that we prevent them from expanding their operations into the sea and threatening vital channels such as the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden," the minister said.