Vice President Kamala Harris will return to the world stage as the face of U.S. diplomacy Monday when she heads to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the death of ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
She will be accompanied by an entourage of various senior U.S. representatives on her fourth overseas trip in six months in another effort to take the lead for President Joe Biden in engaging the world.
Harris’ group will “offer condolences on behalf of the Biden-Harris Administration and the American people on the passing of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” Harris’s press secretary Kirsten Allen confirmed in a statement.
“She will meet with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates. In addition to honoring the memory and the legacy of Sheikh Khalifa, the Vice President will underscore the strength of the partnership between our countries and our desire to further deepen our ties in the coming months and years,” Allen added.
In November last year Harris went to France to represent Biden and drew attention to herself mostly for her efforts to adopt a French accent, as Breitbart News reported.
The vice presidential trip to the oldest ally of the U.S. saw her spend five days in the capital and a bi-lateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron alongside diplomatic dinners and meetings plus a conference.
She also made a well-publicised visited the E. Dehillerin Cookware Shop in Paris along with her security detail and attendant media, journeying to the 190-year-old kitchen supply store on the rue Coquilliere, near the Louvre museum.
In February she attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany and delivered a speech vowing to stand with Europe against Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The vice president told reporters of the administration’s goal to unite America’s allies in Europe for the sake of “deterring Russia from invading a sovereign nation” and preparing for war.
Harris also met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he pleaded for leaders to level sanctions on Russia in reaction to its invasion.
She was back again in March to stand alongside the president of Poland in Warsaw, however on that occasion it was her manner was the main talking point.
Each time a question was asked by a reporter, the vice president appeared uncertain who was expected to answer first, even though the question was directed to her.
Late on Saturday rulers in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday unanimously appointed Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the autocratic nation’s new president, signaling both unity and stability in this key energy-rich country that hosts Western militaries.
AP reports the ascension of Sheikh Mohammed, 61, had been expected after the death Friday of his half-brother and the UAE’s president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the age of 73.
The transition of power marks only the third time this U.S.-allied nation of seven sheikhdoms has selected a president since becoming an independent nation in 1971.