UPDATE - French and UAE presidents discuss maritime security and global energy supplies

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By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - French President Emmanuel Macron and his United Arab Emirates counterpart Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed maritime security and global energy supplies in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

The talks came as part of Macron's three-day Gulf tour that started earlier Monday.

They addressed bilateral ties and focused on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, energy, advanced technology and artificial intelligence as well as advancing joint projects in key sectors, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a statement.

The two leaders also reviewed regional and international developments, "foremost among them developments in the Middle East and ongoing efforts to address their impact on maritime security and global energy supplies," the office said.

Macron and Sheikh Mohammed reaffirmed their "shared determination to strengthen coordination" to promote regional security, stability and peace.

The meeting was attended by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, and several other senior Emirati officials, it added.

The French president began his Gulf tour in Kuwait earlier Monday and is scheduled to visit Bahrain and Qatar after the UAE.

The tour comes amid heightened regional tensions and disruptions to maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a significant share of global oil supplies passes.