Saudi, UAE ministers use social media to signal unity after months of tension
Senior Saudi and United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials on Tuesday shared similar social media posts affirming their close historical ties and “wise leadership”, a move that follows months of tensions owing to a rift between the two Gulf monarchies. The posts...
Senior officials from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates used coordinated social media messages on Tuesday to project solidarity after months of reported friction between the two Gulf states.
Saudi Minister of Media Salman Al-Dosary and Abdulla bin Mohammed Alhamed, chairman of the UAE National Media Authority, posted similar remarks on X at around 7pm Riyadh time, each stressing the long-standing ties between the two countries and the role of “wise leadership” in preserving them.
Alhamed described Emirati-Saudi relations as an extension of shared history and deep-rooted fraternal ties between two peoples he said were united by a common destiny. Al-Dosary said the relationship between the kingdom and the Emirates was one between two peoples connected by history, heritage and leadership in both countries. Both posts also said the media should reflect those bonds and avoid weakening them.
The public display of unity comes after a period in which the two major Gulf monarchies have differed on several regional issues, including oil policy and geopolitics. Their disagreements became more visible late last year amid support for opposing sides in the war in Yemen. That escalation included a Saudi airstrike on what Riyadh said was a shipment of UAE military equipment bound for a Yemeni faction backed by Abu Dhabi.
Since then, social media accounts, commentators and some media organisations in both countries have engaged in unusually open criticism and debate. In March, the UAE banned Saudi TV channel Al-Arabiya’s X accounts, according to the feed summary.
The divergence also continued over the war involving Iran, which has raised security concerns across the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE often taking different positions on how to respond. In May, the UAE left Opec, the oil producers’ group effectively led by Riyadh.
Still, some regional observers have downplayed the scale of the split. Mohammed Baharoon, director general of the Dubai Public Policy Research Center, said in remarks included in the feed summary that the dispute was more of a temporary storm than a strategic break, adding that the two countries have more in common than divides them.
The posts by the Saudi and Emirati media officials were accompanied by another sign of alignment. One hour earlier, Turki Alalshikh, a close confidant of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, shared a photograph he said had been taken days earlier showing Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan standing with their arms around each other’s shoulders.
Alalshikh called it a story of brotherly relations and a deeply rooted partnership. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, responded in comments quoted in the feed by saying that spears together refuse to be broken, but break if separated.
Gulf officials have recently urged unity among the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, especially amid Iranian attacks and Houthi threats to Red Sea shipping. Saudi officials did not respond to questions, according to the feed summary.
This report is based on a monitored public feed and is attributed to Dawn World.
Source: Dawn World - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017482/saudi-uae-ministers-use-social-media-to-signal-unity-after-months-of-tension
