Military attaché of the UAE celebrates the Armed Forces Unification Day in Canberra

Abdullah Al Hashmi: “The relationship between UAE and Australian Universities is of great importance”

18/5/2015

(Translation of this article appears in Arabic section)

Sydney – Middle East Times Int’l: The military attaché in Canberra celebrated the Armed Forces Unification Day 36 years ago, in a formal reception held in the Australian Parliament in Canberra last week.

The Ceremony was attended by Air Marshal Mark Binskin, VCDF and Representative of the Chief of Defence Force, Major General Mohammed bin Suwaidan Saeed Al Qamzi the commander of Air Force and Air Defense in the United Arab Emirates, along with a number of military commanders of the Air Force, Navy and land forces, senior officers of the security services in Australia, a number of officials of the Ministry of  Foreign Affairs, Accredited defense and military attaches in Canberra and ambassadors of the Gulf, Arab region and accredited foreign diplomatic corps.

HE Ali Nasser Al Nuaimi Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Australia, his wife engineer Aisha Al Nuaimi, have received the audience along with Brigadier General Abdullah al-Hashemi Head of the military attaché, Colonel Ahmed Al Merri as well as members of the embassy and the military attaché.

Full Speech of Abdullah Al Hashmi

I wish to join the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency Mr Ali Nasser Al Nuaimi and  The Commander of Air Force and Air Defence, Major General/ Staff Pilot Mohamed Bin Swaidan Saeed Al Qamzi by welcoming you all and to thank you for sharing this significant day.

As we recall the magnificent day of the UAE Armed Forces Unification Day 36 years ago; the deeper we explore the circumstances under which the Armed Forces united; the more we appreciate the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan AlNahyan, the founding father.  His decision on May 6, 1976 cemented the federation and carefully introduced changes to attain national goals to preserve our dignity and render our country unshakable. His efforts forged a secure and stable land, capable of facing all challenges.

The Theme of the celebration this year is influenced by the Arab Spring and the need for us to renew our oath and pledge to protect the unity of the UAE.

My Greatest Thanks and gratitude goes to my Deputy, Colonel Ahmad Ghanem Al Marri who excels every year in bringing this event together and composes great themes that make this event very successful.

I also wish to thank all our staff helping him behind scenes.

May I take this opportunity to commend the Australian Government, Defence, CDF/VCDF and the Chiefs of Army, Airforce & Navy in Particular the international policy office, DPV,RMC, ADC by welcoming our presence here in Australia for the Immeasurable progress in relations between the two countries.

I also wish to thank the education sector today, for all your hard work. Your professionalism in managing our students has always been appreciated, while your contributions to the work with UAEMDA and more broadly in the UAE have truly been above and beyond expectations.

The relationship between UAE and Australian Universities is of great importance and the continuation and strengthening of this relationship will carry forward in being a high priority for us.  I really appreciate the time, effort and attention you paid to matters relating to the UAE military students and for all the insight, support and assistance all of you provided.

Finally, it is my pleasure to convey the warmest congratulations to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Defence Minister.

Their Highnesses Rulers of the Emirates and Members of the Supreme Federal Council and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

I also wish to extend my sincerest wishes to the people of the UAE, Officers, Men and Women of the Armed Forces.

I would like to thank the Royal Military College Band for making themselves available for tonight. We enjoyed the anthems by the lovely children and the Jazz music.

Once again, on behalf of His Excellency Mr Al Nuaimi, Commander of Air Force & Air Defence, MG AL Qamzi, myself and all members of the UAE Embassy would like to extend our gratitude for honouring us with your presence by celebrating the UAE Armed Forces Day.

Full Speech of the Air Marshal Mark Binskin, VCDF and

Representative of the Chief of Defence Force

“On behalf of the Australian Defence Force, thank you for the generous invitation to celebrate the 36th UAE Armed Forces Unification Day.

The UAE Armed Forces have come a long way in the last 36 years and – through many years of interaction and a F-16 ride with the UAE Air Force – I can personally attest to the professionalism, dedication and high level of capability that the Armed Forces display today.

The last year has been a big year for the Armed Forces – Libya and Afghanistan operations being a large focus. Through these operations the world is now seeing the true capability and commitment of your Armed Forces.

Armed Forces that are well led at many levels.

At the highest level – and for a number of years, I have had the privilege of working with your Air Force and Air Defence Force Commander, who is here this evening. I can tell you:

He demonstrates all the values, professionalism and dedication of those in the Air Force and entire UAE Armed Forces,

He is well respected by his peers globally,

And he is a good friend and very good leader

Across the board, Australia and the UAE share a friendly and multi-faceted relationship based on:

People to people links, Regular dialogue at many levels, including our Governor General, Minister for Defence and Chief of Defence Force, Mutual strategic interests, and

A strong record of defence cooperation.

We participate in a number of exercises, activities and operations with the UAE. For example, Al Minhad Air Base is crucial for the support of our operations in Afghanistan.

And today UAE F-16 fighters are supporting ground operations in Afghanistan and I thank you for that commitment.

So our strong bilateral relationship is one that we in Australia are proud of and one that I look forward to seeing continue to develop in the future.

Thank you once again and I congratulate the UAE on this auspicious occasion and I wish everyone in the UAE Armed Forces all the best for the future.

UAE Ambassador Ali Nasser Al Nuaimi and his wife

engineered Aisha Al Nuaimi

Brigadier Al-Hashemi and Air Marshal Mark Binskin

Lebanese Ambassador Jean-Daniel and his wife Mireille

mediating the Kuwaiti Ambassador Khaled Al-Shaibani,

Palestine ambassador Izzat Abdulhadi and other guest

Libya's ambassador Abdul Qadir Misbah AlLafi (C) of Morocco's

ambassador Mohamad Mael Ainin and businessman Roland Jabbour

Deputy of Saudi Ambassador Reda Al Nuzha (C) of Kuwaiti

Ambassador Khaled Al-Shaibani and Samira Baktadh

RtoL: Tariq Al-Aridi, Sultan al-Naqbi, first secretary at

the Embassy of Qatar Mohamed Abdullah Al-Jaber,

Qatar's Ambassador Yusuf Ali al Khater and Miss Ghada Assad

 

Kuwaiti Ambassador Khaled Al-Shaibani (C)

Abdulaziz Al-Bisher and other guest

UAE children in military uniforms singing national songs

Some of the participants taste UAE’s dates