DUBAI, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and U.S. military officials on Sunday discussed on the phone to strengthen "friendship and cooperation" between the two countries, UAE state news agency WAM reported.
Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and James Mattis, U.S. secretary of defence, discuss cooperation, particularly in military and defense affairs between UAE and the United States.
The report added that Sheikh Mohamed and Mattis also discussed the latest regional and international developments, as well as joint cooperation to enhance regional security "to fight extremism and terrorism."
The two countries have been decades-long close political allies. The U.S. supports the Saudi-led military alliance including UAE, which has been fighting Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, in order to support the government under President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
