H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, received on Monday, the visiting Commander of the U.S. Central Command, General Joseph L. Votel, at Al Shati Palace, UAE national news agency WAM reported.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and General Votel discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance them.

They reviewed co-ordination and co-operation between the two countries in a number of military and defense domains. They also tackled the joint efforts to fight extremism and terrorism and the importance of boosting co-operation to better serve interests of the two friendly countries and preserve security and stability of the region.

The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and the Commander of U.S. Central Command exchanged views on the latest developments in the region, as well as issues of mutual concern.

Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States of America, Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, Lieutenant General, Isa Saif bin Ablan Al Mazrouei, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, the US Ambassador to the UAE, Barbara A. Leaf, and the delegation accompanying General Votel, attended the meeting.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed also received a delegation from the UAE Space Agency, which was accompanied by representatives of the space sector in the UAE.

The delegation presented a demonstration on the most important accomplishments in UAE space sciences, and the latest updates regarding the Mars Hope and other ambitious national projects.

The delegation also presented its vision of developing the UAE’s space sector, according to a strategic work plan to place and establish a strong and sustainable foundation for science and knowledge in the area of space sciences, to enable the national manpower to provide new innovations and discoveries for the space sector, and serve the UAE’s advancement in all other sectors.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed expressed his happiness at seeing young, qualified and ambitious national manpower in a vital and advanced sector, as they provide the foundation for a generation of scientists who will lead the national space sector in the future.

The UAE Space Agency has many prominent accomplishments, and it has succeeded, during the past three years, in establishing its presence among its counterparts from other international space agencies, as well as its stature among prominent international organizations by receiving prestigious international memberships.

The Agency recently became a member of the International Astronautical Federation, after becoming a member of the International Space Exploration Committee, the International Space Exploration Coordination Group, the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems, and the Group on Earth Observations.

The Agency has also signed 16 Memorandums of Understanding with the most important international space agencies, such as the American, French, Russian, Algerian, Chinese, Italian, Japanese and British space agencies, including on various programs on the peaceful exploration of outer space.

It also signed joint co-operation agreements in the field of space policies and legislations, and in space, technology and application sciences, as well as on developing manpower and exchanging expertise and research, to benefit from the technical capabilities of all its partner agencies.