Arriving in Tonga tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday 9 February, on a private aircraft, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, will meet with Tongan royalty and government officials.

The Sheikh is visiting 12 countries in the South Pacific region with his Boeing 737 800, accompanied by two smaller security aircraft, arriving in Tonga at 4:30 pm after a brief stop over in Samoa.

Tonga's Prince Regent, Crown Prince Tupouto'a-Lavaka said this morning said that the visit follows a visit to the United Arab Emirates last month by the Prime Minister Dr Feleti Sevele, with Lord Tuita and a Tongan contingent who attended the Third Preparatory Commission meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA in Abu Dhabi. Tonga ratified the IRENA Statue in November 2009, and became one of the first nine countries in the world to be a full member of IRENA.

The delegation explored the possibilities of a working relationship between Tonga and the UAE, in transportation, trade, telecommunications, and, in particular, tourism and renewable energy.

Renewable energy

The CEO for Tonga's Ministry of Information and Communication, Paula Ma'u, said today that tomorrow afternoon the Sheikh will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Prince Regent, Crown Prince Tupouto'a-Lavaka for a closer working relationship between Tonga and United Arab Emirates, particularly in Renewable Energy.

The Prince Regent said that Tonga has established diplomatic relations with a number of Arab countries in the past, and that Tonga had established diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates.

He said that at the moment Tonga and the United Arab Emirates were still working diplomatically through New York, but the closest Emirates embassy in the region is in Canberra.

The Prince Regent, Crown Prince Tupouto'a-Lavaka is Tonga's High Commissioner to Australia, residing in Canberra.



HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and party is scheduled to leave Tonga at 9 am on Wednesday.