Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan
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Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (AbZ) (Arabic: عبد الله بن زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان; born 30 April 1972) is an Emirati politician who has been appointed as the foreign minister in 2006 and is additionally one of four deputy prime ministers of the United Arab Emirates in 2009. He is the ninth son of the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. In 2020, he was a signatory of the Abraham Accords on behalf of the UAE.
Personal life
Abdullah bin Zayed was born in Abu Dhabi on 30 April 1972. He holds a degree in political science from UAE University. He is married to Alyazia bint Saif Al Nahyan, who became an FAO Goodwill Ambassador extraordinary in 2010, and has five children: Fatima, Mohammed, Zayed, Saif and Theyab.
Career
Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates on 9 February 2006.
In 2017, leaked emails[unbalanced opinion?] highlighted that Abdullah bin Zayed maintained close contacts with UK prime minister Tony Blair, who was being funded by the UAE as the Middle East peace envoy.[when?] Blair held a number of official meetings with the UAE Foreign Minister. The emails also revealed that Abdullah bin Zayed was one of the UAE royals who supported the envoy financially.[clarification needed] In 2011, Abdullah's office separately sent US$2 million to Blair through Windrush Ventures, which channeled money[clarification needed] for Tony Blair's commercial advisory work.[when?] The UAE Foreign Ministry also transferred[clarification needed] $12 million to Windrush for Blair consultancy work in Colombia, Vietnam and Mongolia.[better source needed]
In August 2017, Abdullah urged Iran and Turkey to end what the UAE called their "colonial" actions in Syria, signaling unease about diminishing Gulf Arab influence in the war, and calling "the exit of those parties trying to reduce the sovereignty of the Syrian state." He added that "if Iran and Turkey continue the same historical, colonial and competitive behavior and perspectives between them in Arab affairs, we will continue in this situation not just in Syria today but tomorrow in some other country."
On 14 February 2019, Abdullah said that Israel was justified in attacking Iranian targets in Syria.
On 15 September 2020, Abdullah signed the official Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement in a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., US.
In February 2022, the UAE abstained in a UN Security Council vote to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine. Abdullah had a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken prior to the UN Security Council vote. In the phone call, Blinken spoke of the "importance of building a strong international response to support Ukrainian sovereignty through the UN Security Council." The Emirati report of the phone call did not include Blinken's statement.
On January 7, 2025 while serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs he received Gideon Sa'ar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, in Abu Dhabi to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries.
In March 2026, during the 2026 Iran war, Abdullah told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the UAE is prepared for a war lasting up to nine months.
Other roles
Abdullah bin Zayed is a member of the UAE's National Security Council, Deputy Chairman of the UAE's Permanent Committee on Borders, Chairman of the National Media Council, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and Board Member of the National Defense College.
He served as Minister of Information and Culture from 1997 to 2006. He had previously served as Chairman of Emirates Media Incorporated, Chairman of the UAE Football Association (1993–2001), and as the Under Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Culture from 1995 to 1997.
Honours
- Albania: Order of Skanderbeg (decorated by President of Albania Bujar Nishani on 13 March 2016).
- United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.
Ancestry
| Ancestors of Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. Khalifa bin Shakbut Al Nahyan8. Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan4. Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan2. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan10. Butti Al Qubaisi5. Salma bint Butti Al Qubaisi1. Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan6. Mubarak Al Ketbi3. Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi | ||||||||||||||||
| 16. Khalifa bin Shakbut Al Nahyan | ||||||||||||||||
| 8. Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan | ||||||||||||||||
| 4. Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan | ||||||||||||||||
| 2. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan | ||||||||||||||||
| 10. Butti Al Qubaisi | ||||||||||||||||
| 5. Salma bint Butti Al Qubaisi | ||||||||||||||||
| 1. Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan | ||||||||||||||||
| 6. Mubarak Al Ketbi | ||||||||||||||||
| 3. Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi | ||||||||||||||||