Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates, visited Riyadh on Monday for talks with Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, marking a significant step toward resolving a prolonged dispute between the two Gulf states. This meeting is the first public visit by a senior Emirati official to Saudi Arabia since tensions surfaced publicly earlier this year.
The diplomatic engagement comes amid renewed instability in the region, driven largely by escalating conflict in Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have intensified their campaign against Saudi Arabia by imposing blockades on key ports, targeting oil infrastructure with missile and drone strikes, and launching offensives against Saudi-backed Yemeni forces. The Houthis’ advances along the Red Sea coast, especially near the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait, have heightened security concerns for Riyadh.
Observers suggest that the increasing threat posed by the Houthis has underscored the importance of repairing the Saudi-Emirati relationship. Nadim Koteich, a media executive and policy adviser based in Abu Dhabi, noted that both countries recognize the need to resolve their differences to avoid further regional polarization. He emphasized that ongoing discord could complicate crises stretching from Yemen to Sudan, Syria, Iran, and Lebanon, with other regional actors potentially forced to take sides.
Historically, the UAE was a key military partner to Saudi Arabia in the 2015 intervention in Yemen, which sought to counter Houthi advances and support the internationally recognized Yemeni government. However, tensions deepened late last year when Saudi Arabia accused the UAE of backing the Southern Transitional Council, a Yemeni secessionist group whose operations near the Saudi border Riyadh deemed a threat to national security. Saudi forces attacked shipments allegedly sent by the UAE to the faction, prompting Abu Dhabi to withdraw its troops from Yemen.
The split between the two traditional allies widened over Yemen and extended to disagreements on broader regional conflicts, including the civil wars in Sudan and Syria. The rift has complicated efforts to forge a unified Arab response in the face of escalating US-Israeli tensions with Iran. It has also raised concerns among businesses about the potential impact on trade and banking relations between the two largest Arab economies.
Saudi commentator Ali Shihabi suggested that Prince Khalid bin Salman’s invitation to Sheikh Mansour represents a significant diplomatic gesture indicating increased coordination, particularly regarding Yemen. While the UAE is not expected to re-engage militarily in Yemen, Riyadh reportedly aims for Abu Dhabi to influence the southern Yemeni factions to support the anti-Houthi coalition, thereby preventing further fragmentation of the front against the rebels.
The meeting signals a potential thaw in relations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi as regional challenges mount, with both parties appearing to prioritize cooperation to stabilize the broader Gulf and Middle East region.