MBS hosts Sheikh Mansour as Saudi-UAE ties thaw: What to know

The United Arab Emirates’ vice president, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, held talks in Riyadh on Tuesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the kingdom’s defense minister, marking the first high-level bilateral meeting since a deep rupture over Yemen pushed tensions between the two Gulf powers into the open last year.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, Sheikh Mansour and Prince Mohammed “reviewed the fraternal relations between the two brotherly countries and the latest developments in the region,” the agency reported. Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi defense minister and a younger brother of Mohammed bin Salman, also attended the meeting, according to SPA.

Following the meeting, Prince Khalid wrote on X that he was “delighted” to meet Sheikh Mansour “to continue fraternal consultations and exchange visions,” as the two Gulf states work “to continue enhancing joint cooperation and close coordination in various fields.” He referred to Saudi Arabia as Sheikh Mansour’s “second homeland.” 

Sheikh Mansour separately met with Prince Khalid, according to the official Emirati news agency WAM. The two sides “discussed ways to further develop these relations in a manner that serves the mutual interests of both countries,” WAM said.