UAE president notes Russia’s great contribution in sending Emirati astronaut to space

MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Russia’s contribution to sending a United Arab Emirates astronaut into space will forever remain in the history of relations between the two countries, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said.
“Regarding our cooperation, I would also like to mention something that touched the heart of every Emirati. The fact that Russia made a great contribution to achieving the dream of Sheikh Zayed, the UAE founder, to send an Emirati astronaut into space will forever remain in the history of our relations,” he said at talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.
“Hazzaa al-Mansoori was the first Emirati astronaut on the International Space Station. He got there onboard a Russian spacecraft,” the UAE president said.
He mentioned that Hazzaa al-Mansoori and another astronaut, Sultan al-Neyadi, underwent training at Russia’s Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
The UAE president arrived in Moscow on October 20. Putin received his Emirati counterpart at an informal dinner in Novo-Ogaryovo on Sunday. According to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the meeting between the presidents lasted until almost midnight. The formal part of the talks is taking place on Monday.
Communication between the presidents will not be limited to bilateral talks in the coming days. Following the talks in Moscow, Sheikh Mohammed is set to travel to the Russian city of Kazan and take part in a BRICS Summit that is starting there on Tuesday. The UAE joined the group on January 1.