UAE | National Day

Ambassador Sulaiman Hamid Salem Almazroui welcomes guests to the Natural History Museum

The heads of mission for Honduras, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Uruguay and spouses enjoy the festivities

Lady Judge, Alia Bastish, Alistair Burt, Ambassador Almazroui and the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Kuwait, Khaled Al Duwaisan

Alistair Burt MP, Minister of State for the Foreign Office, congratulates the UAE on their national day

Ambassador Almazroui, Alistair Burt, Ambassador of Kuwait Khaled Al Duwaisan and the Ambassador of Oman Abdul Aziz Al Hinai

The Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina Branko Neskovic visits one of the perfume stands

Guests were invited to join the Ayala dancers

Moroccan Ambassador Abdesselem Aboudrar and Ambassador Almazroui

Ambassador of Senegal Cheikh Ahmadou Dieng with Ambassador Almazroui and his wife Alia Bastish

The Ambassador of Guatemala Acisclo Valladares Molina greets Ambassador Almazroui

The Ambassador of Slovakia L’ubomír Rehák and wife Dana Reháková

The Ambassador of Austria Martin Eichtinger and the
Ambassador of Belgium Rudolf Huygelen

Beacon of hope
It was a night at the museum to remember as the Natural History Museum hosted a spectacular UAE national day celebration. In what was a feast for the senses, guests were entertained by singers and traditional Ayala dancers before tucking into a buffet of traditional treats and browsing for gifts at perfume stalls.
In his speech, Ambassador Sulaiman Hamid Salem Almazroui said the UAE will make sure it is equipped to compete with the rest of the world “long after oil reserves run out” by educating and empowering the country’s youth. “Young Arabs want a forward-looking dynamic model for the UAE,” he pointed out. “In a part of the world which has seen progress stifled by war and conflict, the UAE can be a beacon of hope. We want to do this in partnership with the UK.”
PHOTOS: PIERRE DE VILLIERS