US secretary of state meets with UAE foreign minister

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Tuesday with his United Arab Emirates counterpart and discussed a range of issues.

Blinken and Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan met on the margins of the 26th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, the US State Department said in a statement.

“The US is concerned about ensuring well balanced energy markets and calls upon key energy producers, such as the UAE, to further increase production until energy markets and broader economic conditions normalize in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic," the statement said.

Other important bilateral and regional issues were also discussed, the statement noted, including developments in Lebanon and Syria.

"Secretary Blinken also reiterated the strong US support for the aspirations of the Sudanese people for democracy and underscored the need for the immediate restoration of Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government," it added.