HM King Tupou VI visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, after opening Tonga’s new embassy in the United Arab Emirates on September 30.

The mosque is the largest in UAE. The King viewed the mosque's design and architecture, and learned about its history. The late President, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, wanted to establish a structure that would unite the cultural diversity of the Islamic world with the historical and modern values of architecture and art. His resting place is located on the grounds next to the mosque complex. 

King Tupou VI and the Tongan delegation, which included H.E Princess Angelika Latufuipeka Tuku’aho and ambassadors from other Tongan Diplomatic missions, also visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi in Saadiyat and viewed 12 galleries describing a ‘Story of Humanity', ranging from prehistoric artefacts to contemporary artworks. The Princess and other women in the delegation wore shaila and abaya for the visits.

UAE Armed Forces

Yesterday, 1 October, the King met the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohamed vin Zayed Al Nahyan the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

In a statement from Emirates News Agency, King Tupou VI praised the UAE’s efforts to promote the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence between world peoples, and commended the development aid from UAE to Tonga.

He also hailed the opening of a Tongan embassy as a step towards reinforcing bilateral relations.

Tonga's UAE embassy was opened ahead of the EXP 2020, which will run from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021 attracting millions of visitors.