Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has sent a formal letter inviting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to attend the UN Water Conference in the UAE. The gathering, to be co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal, is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi from December 8 to 10, 2026.
The invitation was delivered in Riyadh by Matar Al Dhaheri, the UAE's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, during a meeting with Waleed Al Khereiji, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. The two officials also discussed bilateral relations and areas of cooperation between the two countries during the meeting.
The gesture continues a pattern of coordinated diplomatic outreach between senior leaders of the two nations. Back in August, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed separately wrote to Saudi King Salman, formally inviting him to the same conference. The fact that a parallel invitation has now reached the crown prince suggests Abu Dhabi is placing particular emphasis on securing the attendance of senior Saudi leadership at the international gathering.
The UN Water Conference is considered a major international event focused on water resource management and food security, with heads of state and senior officials from around the world expected to attend. The UAE's joint hosting role with Senegal reflects Abu Dhabi's broader push to strengthen its regional and international standing on environmental and natural resource issues.
Political observers see this exchange of invitations as a sign of the UAE and Saudi Arabia's continued efforts to deepen strategic ties at multiple levels of leadership, at a time when the two Gulf nations maintain extensive economic and political cooperation across the region.