UAE Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Development Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan received a delegation of the FIDE Presidential Board led by President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov on the occasion of the FIDE Congress in Abu Dhabi.
“I am honoured to welcome two groups of distinguished guests today, FIDE Executives and participants in the Fourth Arab Training Session in preserving Cultural Heritage. I would like to begin by addressing our guests from the World Chess Federation:
President Ilyumzhinov and distinguished FIDE Executives:
I trust that you have felt welcome in the United Arab Emirates during the last few days and have had at least a few moments to explore our beautiful capital of Abu Dhabi.
I note that 186 nations belong to the World Chess Federation and that more are petitioning for membership. Our country, the United Arab Emirates, has experienced similar international interest. Men and women from particularly every country in the world live and work in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has become a global society. Although we have not adopted the FIDE motto – Gens Una sumus – we are one family – the idea is appropriate and appealing.
His Highness the President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahayan touched on that idea when he said (and I quote):
The Federation of the United Arab Emirates has relied, and will continue to rely, on the rich and diverse contributions of its true wealth, its people, to guarantee its prosperity.
The President recognizes that each individual living and working in our country brings a unique set of skills to our global society. We prosper because we draw on those skills in working together, just as a strong family works together.
The United Arab Emirates resembles FIDE in yet another respect. While we are devoted to preserving, advancing, and cherishing our own native language Arabic, I am addressing you in the English language. Despite the many different languages that could be spoken in this room right now, English is most likely to be the one language in which most of us share some degree of competence. Our communication in English, however, rarely offers a perfect model for global discourse. But we always hope that English will somehow rise to the perfection of universal communication embodied in the game of chess.
Players of chess all know the same language perfectly. Players of chess speak to each other through their moves without misunderstanding or confusion. No translation is necessary. The conversation is intimate; it is a thing of beauty.
As the UAE’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, and as Chairman of the General Authority of Youth and Sports, I applaud the global language of chess and salute the beauty that it conveys. Your Federation rightly notes the special role that chess can fulfill in the development of young men and women. Chess builds character by promoting discipline, concentration, analysis, and judgment. Chess teaches young people to accept personal responsibility and to respect their opponents based on merit, intellect, and skill – irrespective of their economic status, gender, native language, religious beliefs, ethnicity or nationality.
I would be delighted if every young boy and girl, every young woman and man living in the United Arab Emirates, played chess routinely. Such activity would strengthen our global society. Our youth would be well prepared to prosper and contribute positively to their communities.
I am sure that your meeting in Abu Dhabi during the past few days has already inspired our own UAE Chess Federation. We are honoured that you have conducted your important business in our country. You guide a noble international family united by the most admirable principles of civilization. Together you can develop a deeper understanding of how Chess can promote the values of peace and understanding that are important to all of us. Thank you for your wisdom, perseverance, and dedication. Our country and the rest of the world benefit from your efforts.”