Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba Visits Dallas to Underscore Strong UAE-Texas Ties

Delivers Keynote Address to Local Government Officials, Business Executives at World Affairs Council Dallas/Fort Worth 

UAE Embassy and FC Dallas Foundation Dedicate Community Soccer Field at Jubilee Park and Community Center

Dallas, TX (Oct.  24, 2014) – His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States visited Dallas, Texas this week to highlight the growing commercial and cultural ties between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the state of Texas, and reinforce the strong bilateral relationship between the UAE and the US.

The Ambassador delivered a keynote address to the World Affairs Council Dallas/Fort Worth that outlined the strong ties between the UAE and Texas, noting the impressive economic growth between the two partners. The speech also highlighted the importance of the UAE-US bilateral security relationship – specifically the UAE’s most recent contributions to the US-led coalition to defeat ISIS and counter other radical extremist groups in the Middle East.

“In just the past four weeks, UAE and US Air Forces have engaged in joint operations, flying hundreds of missions to push back against ISIS,” said Ambassador Al Otaiba.

He also reiterated the importance of taking the fight beyond the battlefield to challenge militant ideology and providing alternatives to extremism. “With a broad and collective effort, we will defeat the extremists. The forces of moderation and tolerance will win the day all throughout the Middle East,” said Ambassador Al Otaiba. 

More than 300 leading government and business executives from the Dallas/Fort Worth area attended the event including  Chairman and CEO of Perot Group Companies Ross Perot, Jr., CEO of DFW International Airport Sean Donohue, Chairman of the Hunt Sports Group Clark Hunt, Senior Vice President of Lockheed Martin Orlando Carvalho, and Senior Vice President of Exxon Mobil Andy Swiger. 

At the World Affairs Council event, Ambassador Al Otaiba also announced the UAE Embassy’s sponsorship of a new education program. The UAE Embassy and the World Affairs Council will send talented educators and administrators from Dallas schools to the UAE in 2015. This program will help improve and expand international curriculum for Dallas high school students and introduce educators to the UAE and the wider Arab world. 

“All of these programs and business initiatives highlight what we all share together: common values. Values of global engagement and commerce. Values of progressive education. And last but not least, values of openness and tolerance,” said Ambassador Al Otaiba. 

While in Dallas, the UAE Embassy, along with its partner FC Dallas Foundation, dedicated a new soccer field at the Jubilee Park and Community Center. The field is the sixth US community field that the Embassy has donated in recent years. The Embassy has collaborated with local community partners across the US to provide deserving children access to quality programming by building new soccer fields in: Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, East Los Angeles and Miami.