Sunday 12 January 2014
At the meeting with General Staff Pilot Rashad Mohamed Salem Al Saedi, Commandant of the National Defense College and some NDC participant students, H.E. Al Mansouri, the Economy Minister said ''The UAE is striving to sharpen its economic competitive edge to build a knowledge-based economy.'' The UAE, he said, has become a recognized centre for research and development in the region thanks to the focused attention given by the state to the sector. He noted that the UAE's advanced rankings in international economic reports and indexes were attributed to the wise guidance of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He stated that his ministry is finalizing a set of bills aimed at improving business performance, stimulating economic growth, diversifying sources of national income and shifting to knowledge-based economy in line of the UAE Vision 2021. Praising the College, the minister said the academic-military institution was established on par with the international best standards to match the prominent stature of the UAE and its Armed Forces. He noted the College has earned an advanced rank among the higher military education institutions in a relatively short span of time. He expressed his ministry's readiness to fully cooperate with the College given the fact that its integrated curriculum incorporates vital economic considerations. The President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued a Federal Law in 2012 promulgating the establishment of a national defense college to prepare and train military and civil leaders capable of defining challenges facing national, regional and international security.