‘How humble we are before the glory of God’: Albanese tours UAE mosque

1 week ago 6

Anthony Albanese has begun the last leg of the longest overseas trip of his prime ministership with a visit to a spectacular mosque in Abu Dhabi alongside partner Jodie Haydon as he seeks to deepen Australia’s ties to the Middle East.

Albanese arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Monday as the opposition continued to blast him for agreeing to deliver a keynote address at the British Labour Party conference in Liverpool.

Before trip to a supermarket complex to celebrate the imminent start of the Australia-UAE free trade agreement, Albanese and Heydon visited Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the world’s largest mosques.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon visit Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on September 29, 2025.

Capable of holding about 7800 worshippers, the gleaming white marble complex was opened in 2007 and is the resting place of the Emirati founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Albanese said it was a “great honour” to be at the mosque.

“You get the feeling when you are here about the human experience and how humble we are before the glory of God,” he said.

While in Abu Dhabi on a refuelling stop before returning to Australia on Wednesday morning, Albanese will meet with Zayed’s son, the current UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UAE, which established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020 in a landmark deal brokered by the Trump administration, could act as an important player in post-war Gaza.

Australia officially recognised Palestine as a state during last week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, and Albanese has expressed openness to Australia playing a role in a post-war peacekeeping effort in Gaza.

He has also backed the credentials of former UK Labour leader Tony Blair, who has been discussed as a possible administrator for Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas ends.

The Australia-UAE free trade agreement, Australia’s first trade deal in the Middle East, will take effect on October 1.

The agreement, struck in September 2024, will see almost all Australian exports to the UAE tariff-free once fully implemented, saving Australian exporters up to $204 million a year.

As he chases a free-trade deal with the European Union, Albanese also planned to visit the LuLu Hypermarket, a major supermarket chain and food supplier that is a key importer of Australian products.

Victoria Starmer, wife of the British PM, with Anthony Albanese’s fiancee Jodie Haydon and former prime minister Julia Gillard at the UK Labour Annual Conference in Liverpool.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said Albanese had “crossed a line” by speaking at the UK Labour conference on the final day of a three-day visit to Britain.

“In fact, he didn’t just cross a line, he flew to the other side of the world to give a partisan political speech on behalf of a political party in another country,” she said.

“That is totally unacceptable.”

Albanese has said it was important for him to appear at the Labour conference, where he held brief meetings with the British defence minister and other senior figures.