1. Special envoy of the President Chang Je-won attended the funeral of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, late President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), held at Al Mushrif Palace on May 16 and expressed condolences to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, new President of the UAE.

2. At the funeral, special envoy Chang had a conversation with President Sheikh Mohammed and expressed deep sympathy over the passing of Sheikh Khalifa on behalf of President Yoon Suk Yeol, the government and the people of the Republic of Korea.

° In addition, special envoy Chang took note of the advances in the Special Strategic Partnership between Korea and the UAE during Sheikh Khalifa’s reign and congratulated Sheikh Mohammed on his election as new President of the UAE. Special envoy Chang also conveyed President Yoon’s will to enhance Korea-UAE relations under the new leaderships of the two countries.

3. In response, President Sheikh Mohammed offered congratulations to President Yoon on his inauguration, expressed appreciation to President Yoon for sending the delegation, and asked to relay gratitude of the UAE government to President Yoon.

° In particular, President Sheikh Mohammed mentioned that it is highly important for the UAE to develop bilateral relations with Korea as the two countries maintain very special and unique cooperative relations.

4. Noting that President Yoon puts a value on trust and confidence, special envoy Chang relayed to President Sheikh Mohammed President Yoon’s invitation to visit Korea. In response, President Sheikh Mohammed said that friendship between leaders is important for friendly relations between countries, and expressed his hope to visit Korea and meet with President Yoon in the near future.

5. Before attending the funeral, special envoy Chang had a conversation with His Excellency Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, at 11:30-12:10. He offered condolences on the passing of Sheikh Khalifa on behalf of the government and people of the Republic of Korea, and the two sides discussed ways to develop bilateral relations.

° Special envoy Chang expressed appreciation to Chairman Khaldoon for his visit to Seoul to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony on May 10 and asked him to continue to play an active role in expanding cooperation in new areas for future growth such as hydrogen, healthcare and ICT, and thereby elevating bilateral relations to a higher level.

° In response, Chairman Khaldoon stressed the importance of developing a sustainable, solid and long-term partnership based on successful bilateral cooperation in various areas including nuclear energy and defense industry.

° The two sides agreed to further develop Korea-UAE relations under the newly launched leaderships of the two countries, and Chairman Khaldoon mentioned that he would visit Korea again in the near future to explore ways to further strengthen bilateral relations.

6. Special envoy Chang also met at the funeral His Excellency Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs, and suggested that the two countries continue close cooperation in the fields of defense and relevant industries.