Vice President and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid issued a public letter on October 19, 2026, urging Gulf citizens to preserve regional unity. Writing in his book Al Rasael, he warned that media platforms and narrow agendas risk fracturing shared history and geography.
Sheikh Mohammed Calls For Gulf Unity
Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid published a wide-ranging message directed at citizens across the Arabian Gulf states on October 19, 2026. Released through his official account on the platform formerly known as Twitter and featured in his book Al Rasael (The Letters), the text calls for closer cooperation, institutional strengthening, and resilience against external division.
Citizens of the Gulf have moved from modest fishing harbors and pearl diving toward global capitals, international shipping routes, and major international investments, according to the published text, tracing the region’s rapid transformation over recent decades. The region successfully transitioned into modernity and globalization while maintaining its unique cultural identity and heritage.
Beyond economic milestones, the Ruler of Dubai emphasized that the region’s greatest achievement lies in human development, fostering patriotism, and maintaining coexistence with visitors and foreign workers.
Sheikh Mohammed Warns Against Media Divisions
While celebrating shared ancestry, coastal geography, and religious ties, the letter addresses modern threats to regional cohesion. Sheikh Mohammed cautioned that contemporary communication channels and media battlegrounds must not be allowed to sever ties forged across centuries, emphasizing that geographical proximity and lineage cannot be erased by political or social messaging.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has urged Gulf countries to stand together and rejected attempts to sow division.In a message shared on social media, Sheikh Mohammed reflected on the region’s transformation from ‘simple towns to global… pic.twitter.com/lsyGSWkt5t
My brothers and sisters, the people of the Gulf: the arenas of geography, history, and blood will not unite us while media arenas divide us. Nor will shared development and common economic calculations unite us while social media calculations divide us. Development agendas will not unite us while those with narrow agendas and sick souls divide us.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai
The text argues that political agreements alone did not unite the region; rather, the bond rests on generations living along the same shores, mothers praying for returning sailors, and families sharing a common faith. Commentators reviewing the text noted that the letter echoes sentiments first expressed in the author’s memoir My Story: 50 Stories in Fifty Years.
UAE Model Inspires Regional Coordination
When seven distinct emirates joined their will and resources, the resulting nation achieved prosperity and global influence, pointing to the domestic experience of the United Arab Emirates to illustrate the potential of collective ambition.
Rather than advocating for a single unified superstate or the erasure of local governance, the author calls for institutional alignment and structured cooperation, noting that diverse experiences combine to form a powerful civilizational momentum.
I am not speaking here about a union between our states, or of ignoring the distinct nature of our experiences. Rather, I am speaking about our rapprochement and cooperation, the management of our differences, the strengthening of our institutions, and the coordination of our efforts; because history teaches us that the whole is stronger than the sum of its parts, and that strength does not lie in being a single copy, but rather in diverse experiences that create a new civilizational momentum in our region.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai
The published dispatch concludes on an optimistic note, drawing parallels between the stability of the desert and the expansive coastal trade routes. The text likens the region to a grand tree with multiple branches sharing a single root and common destiny, closing with a reiteration of pride in Gulf identity.
Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has called on Gulf communities to guard against narratives that encourage division among GCC countries. In a letter to the people of the Gulf, he highlighted the family connections, common heritage and geographical links that… pic.twitter.com/TjsTxpadJS
The message highlights that different rivers flowing into a single sea do not lose their distinct names, but instead combine to form a vast ocean of opportunity, wealth, and strength. Optimistic about the future, the author reaffirmed that the region will endure through its deserts, ports, projects, and the determination of its rising generations.
Concluding the communication, prayers were offered for the preservation, glory, and prosperity of the region, signed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid as a brother to all citizens.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum highlights the power of Gulf cooperation, emphasizing that shared ambitions, wealth and determination can turn the region’s boldest visions into reality.#SheikhMohammed #UAE #Gulf #Cooperation #EconomyMiddleEast pic.twitter.com/OJpDjPA7Ln
I am optimistic about the Gulf and will remain so. The Gulf will endure, God willing, with its desert, its people, its sea, and its ports… with its projects and the drive of its generations… with its expanses in which our dreams will soar, that our Gulf may remain one and our people one… calling out with an unceasing voice: I am a Gulf native and I am proud to be a Gulf native.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai
The Gulf Cooperation Council was established in Abu Dhabi on May 25, 1981.
