The United Arab Emirates Establishes an Embassy in Washington
1974
Before independence, Britain's protective treaties with the individual emirates had constrained their direct relations with foreign governments. [1] [2]
Washington's earlier envoy to the UAE had served from Kuwait. [3] [4]
Saeed Ahmad Ghobash presented his credentials to Gerald Ford in the Oval Office on 29 November 1974, receiving formal recognition as the UAE’s resident ambassador in the year its Washington embassy opened. [3] [2]
The federation had been independent for only three years. American recognition in December 1971 had been followed by diplomatic relations the next March. [4] [2]
The United States established its own resident presence in Abu Dhabi in 1974. Michael Sterner presented his credentials in June, and the American embassy began operating there. By the time Ford received Ghobash in November, both governments had resident missions in the other’s capital. [4] [2]
Related Diplomats
Sources
- History: New Beginnings
1968 federation proposal and Qatar/Bahrain; nineteenth-century protective treaties and restrictions on foreign relations
- Reliable allies: bilateral timeline — Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
1974 opening of UAE embassy in Washington; later chancery
- President Ford’s daily diary, November 29, 1974 — Ford Presidential Library
PDF pp. 4 and 8; Ghobash credential ceremony and attendees
- United Arab Emirates: recognition and relations — Office of the Historian
Formal relations, 1972; resident American embassy, June 24, 1974
Related Reading
Cite This Article
The United Arab Emirates Establishes an Embassy in Washington. Chanceries Diplopedia. Record 126c730ef23ac6da3cd2. https://chanceries.org/research/history/uae-opening-91bc394158/