LOC20:54
17:54 GMT
PARIS, Jan 24 (KUNA) -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian has held talks with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdallah bin Zayed on a number of regional issues and bilateral questions, the French Foreign Ministry said Friday.
Topping the agenda for discussions were Iran, Libya, and the fight against the so-called Islamic State (IS), in light of the recent spike in regional tensions in the Gulf region and the ongoing crisis in Libya, despite the efforts to get a sustainable cease-fire at last Sunday's Berlin Conference, it said in a statement.
Le Drian and Sheikh Abdallah, who is also International Cooperation Minister for the UAE, "reaffirmed their common willingness to work for a de-escalation" in regional tensions and also "to pursue the fight against Daesh (IS)."
Le Drian stressed to his counterpart the need to "rapidly implement the priorities defined" in the Berlin Conference on Libya, notably the starting of an inter-Libyan dialogue in association with Libya's neighbours and regional partners.
Both sides also addressed the "exceptional partnership" between the two nations and looked at a number of initiatives to enhance relations, notably at the cultural and university level, developed around the UAE "Sorbonne Abu Dhabi" project and the imminent inauguration of an artificial intelligence research centre in the UAE in the coming days. (end)
jk.mt