ABU DHABI — The Vice-President of the Committee of Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence, European Parliament, Tobias Pfluger, has praised the wise leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for accomplishments made by the UAE in the fields of economy, investment, education, culture, tourism, and urban development.

These accomplishments have catapulted the UAE to the status of an advanced modern country, with no parallel in the Middle East, he said.

In a lecture at the Information Affairs Office of Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the European parliamentarian expressed his admiration for the big strides made by the UAE in promotion of political participation and development of the parliamentary system.

He lauded the implementation of Phase I of the President’s programme to reactivate the role of the Federal National Council (FNC), by electing half of its members in the country’s first elections, which sent eight women to the FNC.

While affirming European Parliament’s encouragement and support to the democratic process in the UAE, Pfluger said the European Parliament might send observers to monitor the next elections in the UAE.

He pointed out the European delegation currently in the UAE seeks to hold talks for strengthening parliamentary relations for the benefit of both parties.