UAE Foreign Minister, Russia’s Lavrov headline top-tier confab
The Sir Bani Yas Forum, which focuses on pressing economic and security issues, operates under rules that prevent attribution of remarks
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed met two years ago in Moscow (Getty Images)
Deep in the Abu Dhabi desert this weekend, foreign ministers, senior government officials and an array of policy experts are gathering behind closed doors for one of the world’s most exclusive diplomatic get-togethers.
The three-day Sir Bani Yas Forum, hosted by UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, opened Friday with speeches, panel talks and high-level shmoozing opportunities galore.
The affair, which focuses on the most pressing political, economic and security issues, is conducted under so-called Chatham House rules that prevent public attribution of remarks to allow for more free-spirited expression.
While the media is kept at bay and the Sir Bani Yas website stops dead at the login page, a few participants have made their presence known through reports on their national news agencies.
The most prominent of them is Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who announced his landing in Abu Dhabi on Thursday with a report on TASS. Also disclosing their participation were Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos of Cyprus and Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan.
The top-tier confab is named for Sir Bani Yas Island in western Abu Dhabi, home to a bird sanctuary, nature reserve and several significant archeological sites. The name originates from the Bani Yas tribe, who first inhabited the land that became the emirate of Abu Dhabi.