![United Arab Emirates [Shutterstock]](https://preview.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/UAE-2109x1406.jpg)
International Travel Information
What you need to know before you go: visas, Embassy & Consulate locations, vaccinations, etc.
International Travel Information: Learn More
December 9, 2020
U.S. Relations With United Arab Emirates
Highlights
May 17, 2022
![Secretary Blinken participates in NATO Informal Foreign Ministers Ministerial Session 13 in Berlin, Germany on May 15, 2022. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]](https://preview.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/blinken_nato_germany.jpg)
U.S. Relationship
- U.S.-United Arab Emirates Relations
- U.S. Assistance to the United Arab Emirates
- Bilateral Economic Relations
U.S.-United Arab Emirates Relations
The United States has had friendly relations with the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) since 1971, following its formation and independence from the United Kingdom. The two countries established formal diplomatic relations in 1972. The U.A.E. plays an influential role in the Middle East, and is a key partner for the United States. The United States and the U.A.E. enjoy strong bilateral cooperation on a full range of issues including defense, non-proliferation, trade, law enforcement, energy policy, and cultural exchange. The two countries work together to promote peace and security, support economic growth, and improve educational opportunities in the region and around the world.
U.S. Assistance to the United Arab Emirates
The U.S. provides Export and Border Security (EXBS) assistance to the U.A.E.
Bilateral Economic Relations
The prosperity of the U.A.E. is based in large part on the country's vast oil and gas reserves It is the United States’ single largest export market in the Middle East and North Africa region, and more than 1,000 U.S. firms operate in the country. Many more U.S. companies, drawn by strong logistics and transport industries, use the U.A.E. as a regional headquarters from which to conduct business throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia.
![United Arab Emirates Flag: Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side; the flag incorporates all four Pan-Arab colors, which in this case represent fertility (green), neutrality (white), petroleum resources (black), and unity (red); red was the traditional color incorporated into all flags of the emirates before their unification [CIA World Fact Book]](https://preview.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/United-Arab-Emirates-Flag.gif){kind=small}