His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed (UAE) Forces Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al Nahyan, attended a ceremony, at al-Husseiniya Palace, to rename the Rapid Intervention Brigade to become the Brigade of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al Nahyan/Rapid Intervention.

His Highness was awarded the accolade during a special ceremony held at Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman, Jordan, as part of his official visit to the country which concluded on Tuesday, according to Petra news agency.

The move comes in recognition of the brotherly ties between Jordan and the UAE, as well as, an appreciation for the support of the UAE to the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army and security agencies, especially in military housing projects and training schools, Petra added.

The Jordanian King and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi presented the Brigade’s new flag to members of the Brigade during the military ceremony that started with the national anthems of Jordan and the UAE.

The ceremony also included replacing the Brigade’s old flag with the new flag by a highly trained and professional force as musical pieces were played.

A number of Black Hawk helicopters also flew over the ceremony’s site, carrying a group of the brigade's members, while a number of military vehicles used by the brigade in rapid response operations were displayed. 

The Brigade was set up in 2014 at the level of a battalion of Rapid Reaction Force, and in 2017 the brigade level including the Rapid Intervention Battalion-91, the Rapid Intervention Battalion-81 and the Rapid Intervention Battalion- 61 Commandos.

King Abdullah affirmed the strong ties of friendship and bilateral relations between Jordan and the UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and praised the great role Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed plays in further cementing these ties across all levels of cooperation and coordination.

For his part, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed expressed his thanks to the King of Jordan. He stressed that the historical relations between the two countries, founded by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and King Hussein bin Talal, will continue to prosper as a result of the keenness and determination shown by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and King Abdullah II of Jordan, Emirates News Agency WAM reported.

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority; Yousef Mana’a Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the US; Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court; Mattar Saif Sulaiman Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Jordan; Lt. General Issa Saif bin Ablan Al Mazrouei, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and Hussein Jassim Al Nowais, Chairman of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, were present during the ceremony.

The Jordanian delegation also attending the ceremony included, Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein; Prime Minister Omar Razzaz; Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi; Advisor to the King of Jordan and Director of the King of Jordan’s Office, Manar Dabbas; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat; Director of General Intelligence Department Major General Adnan Al-Jundi; Muhannad Shehadeh, Minister of State for Investment Affairs; Advisor to the King for Economic Affairs Mohammed Al-Assas; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Crown Prince Foundation Fawaz Hatem Zoubi, and Ambassador of Jordan to the UAE Juma Abdullah Al-Abbadi.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Jordan’s Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. General Mahmoud Freihat received on Tuesday the Chief-of-Staff of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, General Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, and a delegation accompanying him.

During the meeting, Freihat and Al-Ruwaili discussed ways to further boost cooperation and coordination on issues of mutual interest to both countries’ armed forces.