President Moon Jae-in paid a visit to Sea Palace, the private residence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, in the evening on the third day of his official visit to the United Arab Emirates.

It is an Arabic custom that people never allow their family members to reveal their faces even to relatives or close acquaintances.  Considering their culture, the Crown Prince’s invitation of the Korean presidential couple to his residence for socializing with his family was extraordinarily unprecedented. 

When President Moon and First Lady Kim disembarked from their car upon arrival at the residence, the Crown Prince and his family warmly welcomed them at the porch. The Crown Prince introduced his three daughters and grandchildren to the Korean presidential couple one by one.

During the visit, the daughters of the Crown Prince carried the coffee pots and trays to serve the Korean First Couple with coffee and juice. Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi Khaldoun Khalifa Al Mubarak was the only non-family member in attendance.

As President Moon praised the beauty of the private residence with an ocean view, the Crown Prince said that he was the only son who had lived together with his parents at this almost 30-year-old house, adding that now all family members were living together. 

Saying that seawater desalinization and alternative energy were his primary concerns nowadays, the Crown Prince added he hoped for cooperation with Korea in this regard. The Crown Prince also said Korea was the first priority for his country and reconfirmed friendly ties between the two nations, noting that bilateral relations would remain unwavering no matter what is said in the media and on social networking services.

President Moon said it seemed that Allah does not give everything: the UAE was blessed with oil, but it lacked water while Korea was blessed with beautiful nature, but not a single drop of oil was produced. The President next said the driving force to overcome scarcity was the character of the leaders as well as passion and efforts of the people. He continued that the two countries would be able to overcome difficulties if they made the most of bilateral ties. 

The Crown Prince said that everything that God gives us has advantages and disadvantages but it always has many positive sides. He went on to say that God had led our two countries to meet and become friends as close as allies. The Crown Prince added that the relationship between the two countries would develop further. 

President Moon expressed his gratitude to the Crown Prince for showing exceptional hospitality by personally driving a vehicle to move around with him at the Barakah nuclear power plant in the morning and inviting him to his private residence, adding that it was hospitality offered to the people of Korea. 

The Crown Prince replied that President Moon had made a good friend named Mohammed bin Zayed. He went on to say that Korea gained an ally named the UAE and that the UAE would always stand by and support Korea and continue to remain Korea’s friend, adding that he looked forward to meeting with the President in Korea soon.