United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Lieutenant-General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al-Rumaithi received British Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach.
The two Commanders discussed ways of enhancing military cooperation between the two friendly countries, UAE national news agency WAM reported.
The British Chief of Defence Staff also visited Wahat Al Karama in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoun, Director of the Martyrs’ Families Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, accompanied Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach during the visit.
He attended a ceremony conducted by the Guards of Honour, then placed a wreath at the Memorial for the UAE’s fallen heroes. He then took a walking tour of Wahat Al Karama, visiting the Pavilion of Honour, a monument which includes panels representing the seven emirates, inscribed with the Armed Forces pledge of allegiance.
He said he admired the Memorial’s design, which represents sacrifice, loyalty and solidarity, and also expressed gratitude for the visit and lauded UAE heroes’ sacrifices.
Wahat Al Karama, whose name means Oasis of Dignity, is a memorial site that opened to the public last month and commemorates those who have died serving the UAE.
The memorial site dedicated to honouring UAE’s heroes will be open to the public for the first time on Tuesday 10 January 2017.
Visitors will be able to explore Wahat Al Karama’s more than 46,000 square metres from 9am to 7pm every day - excluding national occasions, special events and visits from official delegations.
Twice a day the memorial will feature guide-accompanied tours, one at 10am and another at 5pm and a ceremony by Honour Guards from the Armed Forces, in the morning and afternoon.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon said the recently inaugurated memorial is a national and cultural landmark that immortalises the sacrifices made by the UAE’s heroes.
“Wahat Al Karama embodies the values of unity, solidarity and synergy between the leadership and the people that are so deeply embedded into the culture of the UAE,” he explained.
Guests can now marvel up close at the memorial’s most eminent feature – the 31 towering aluminium-clad panels leaning on each other – and walk around the memorial plaza’s shallow pool reflecting the panels as well as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque located across the street.
Visitors will also be able to read the names of the fallen on the internal wall of the pavilion of honour where they are engraved on aluminium plates made of reclaimed materials from armoured vehicles used in service.
Comprising of eight slabs, the pavilion’s roof symbolises the unity of the seven emirates and the country’s heroes.
Following Wahat Al Karama’s inauguration on Commemoration Day in December, which featured the UAE leaders honouring the country’s heroes and their attending relatives, the site has been visited by other countries’ leaders, including Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
