UAE and US Advance Technology Partnership Agenda in High-Level Washington Engagements

WASHINGTON, D.C. (3 October 2026) –  The United Arab Emirates and the United States took additional steps to deepen their technology, space and R&D cooperation partnership this week, as HE Omran Sharaf, UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology Affairs, led a high-level delegation through engagements spanning the State Department, Commerce Department, White House and leading industry and academic institutions. Building on the landmark A:5 export control designation — which streamlines UAE-US technology trade and facilitates secure access for approved UAE entities — the meetings advanced cooperation across artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, space and quantum computing.

The A:5 designation, the first ever granted to an Arab state and a formal recognition of the UAE among America’s most trusted partners for advanced technology, is the capstone of a bilateral partnership built on layered commitments — from the 123 Agreement on Peaceful Nuclear Energy Cooperation to the UAE’s designation as a US Major Defense Partner — reflecting a relationship that has grown from shared energy and security interests into a full-spectrum strategic alliance now extending into AI, space and emerging technology.

"The UAE-US partnership is built on more than five decades of trust across the most sensitive sectors — defense, intelligence and nuclear energy," said HE Sharaf. "That same standard defines our approach to AI and advanced technology. Our investment, our infrastructure and our institutions are built around this partnership, and this week's conversations reflect exactly that commitment.”

The delegation included Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government HE Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, and senior representatives from the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), the UAE Space Agency and Space42. Over three days, they met with senior officials and industry leaders across artificial intelligence, space, cybersecurity, export policy and quantum computing. 

At the State Department, US Department of Commerce and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the delegation met with Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg, Ambassador-at-Large Adam Cassady of the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Taylor Jordan of the Office of Space Commerce, OSTP Director Michael Kratsios, Deputy Under Secretary for Innovation and Engagement Bill Guidera at the International Trade Administration (ITA), and ITA Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Mitchell for the Office of Middle East and Africa. The discussions tracked directly against the $1.4 trillion UAE-US technology investment framework agreed in March 2025.

The delegation also engaged leading policy and academic institutions. At the Hudson Institute, HE Sharaf met with President and CEO John P. Walters and senior fellows from the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East. At the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), he addressed students at an event co-hosted by the SAIS Foreign Policy Institute and SAIS MENA Club, moderated by Senior Fellow Afshin Molavi, on technology, power and the new global order. The group also met with the President of the Economic Security and Technology Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Navin Girishankar.

On the industry side, HE Sharaf met with the President and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) Jason Oxman, President of the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) Christopher Mohr, and Chairman and CEO of IonQ, Niccolo De Masi.

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