Rima Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation of the UAE, met in Brussels with European Commissioner for Equality, Strategy and Crisis Management, Helena Dalli. During the meeting, both sides emphasized the joint commitment of the UAE and the EU to deepen bilateral cooperation and their determination to alleviate human suffering worldwide. Al Hashemi highlighted the UAE's consistent approach to providing assistance to all regions, based on the values of solidarity and human dignity, and its firm commitment to alleviating suffering. She also shed light on the UAE's tireless efforts in Ukraine, including the delivery of humanitarian aid and the continuous facilitation of prisoner exchanges. To date, the UAE has conducted 17 exchange operations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, involving a total of 4,641 prisoners. During the meeting, Dalli expressed her appreciation for the aid provided by the UAE during the winter, including energy supplies. Both sides stressed the central importance of delivering humanitarian aid safely and without obstacles to all conflict zones, and they also affirmed the urgent need to expand the scale of humanitarian aid access to Gaza, where civilians—especially women and children—are facing a tragic humanitarian situation. It was noted that the UAE, as the largest donor of humanitarian aid to Gaza over the past two years, has contributed over 2.57 billion US dollars through all available means—land, air, and sea—in addition to providing medical treatment to more than 76,000 Palestinians. Both parties expressed their deep concern over the tragic civil war in Sudan, which is witnessing a continuous escalation of famine, mass displacement, and violence. Al Hashemi confirmed that the UAE, the second-largest provider of aid to Sudan after the United States, has provided over 784 million US dollars in humanitarian aid since the outbreak of the civil war. The two sides emphasized the importance of delivering aid without obstacles and the necessity of an immediate end to the use of aid as a weapon against civilians or for political purposes. The UAE and the EU also reaffirmed their joint commitment to strengthening their partnership and sustainable cooperation to protect civilians and deliver aid to those in greatest need.
