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Dubai / WAM
Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, has visited Spain Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. He was welcomed by José Andrés Torres Mora, Commissioner General of the Pavilion, and Julieta Casanova, Commercial Attaché at the Embassy of Spain in the UAE.
During his visit, Dr Al Falasi said that Expo 2020 Dubai is an important and distinguished opportunity that drives the development of global economies. “The event helps create a sustainable economic model for the post Covid-19 era by providing solutions, facilitating dialogue and inspiring action in important areas that contribute to building this new economic model,” he said, pointing to the exceptional impact the exhibition has on the economy of the UAE, as it will help accelerate trade and investment exchange in all sectors, especially the futuristic ones.
Located in the sustainability district, the pavilion stands out for its enormous colourful cones, partially covered with ultralight and flexible photovoltaic panels that lead visitors to an airy ground floor containing several, naturally cooled plazas featuring, ‘Glimpses’, a series of exhibitions synthesising some of the most relevant contributions of Spain to the global culture, highlighting some of the historical links between the country and the Arab culture.
Themed “Intelligence for life”, the pavilion aims to become an example of intelligent creativity, capable of uniting people around sustainable projects in the fields of science, technology, education, and art.
The UAE-Spanish economic ties have witnessed significant development over the past few years. Spain is the UAE’s sixth largest European trading partner that accounts for 5 percent of the UAE’s total non-oil trade with the EU countries. Furthermore, Spanish market is one of the most vital global priority markets for the Emirati business and investment community, with Emirati investments in Spain amounting to more than $4.3 billion.
The value of non-oil foreign trade exchange between the two countries stood at $2.6 billion in 2021, a growth of 17 percent compared to the previous year.
The UAE’s non-oil exports to Spain stood at $350 million, which is double the amount in 2020, especially in aluminum products. Spain is the second largest European importer of aluminum from the UAE.