UAE to boost trade with Asian, European and African nations

Abu Dhabi / WAM

Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, received a number of senior government figures and heads of regional and international organisations from Asian, European and African countries participating in the 7th Annual Investment Forum (AIM 2017) at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
The meetings focused on enhancing economic and trade cooperation and reviewing major investment opportunities offered by each side as well as possible investment partnerships that can advance mutual development goals and help boost trade flows. Among the sectors discussed for their potential to boost regional and international development partnerships were aviation, agriculture, logistics, mining, and renewable energy.
The Minister of Economy discussed the strengthening of economic and trade ties with Russia during his meeting with Sergey Cheremin, Russia’s Minister of Economy and International Relations, where they agreed to maintain close cooperation while exploring wider horizons for pushing their relations to more advanced levels to better serve their common interests.
During the meeting with the delegation headed by H.E. Xia Baolong, Communist Party Secretary of China’s Zhejiang Province, the two sides agreed to focus more on investment opportunities in logistics services and transportation. They also committed to intensifying their coordination in support of “China’s Silk Road Development Initiative”. The participants expressed their pleasure at the high level of cooperation in air transport and aviation buoyed by initiatives such as the “Open Skies Agreement” serving the best interests of their nations.
Al Mansouri also discussed areas of cooperation with the Republic of Macedonia during his meeting with Jerry Naumoff, Minister of State for Foreign Investments, and Arlind Zekegiri, Minister of Foreign Direct Investment. They pointed out the importance of organising more bilateral visits and meetings at the governmental and private levels to exchange information on significant investment opportunities and areas of cooperation and share expertise, focusing on sectors prioritised by the economic agendas of their respective countries.
The meetings with the Ministers of Trade and Industry of African countries, on the other hand, centred on investment prospects in agriculture, mining, renewable energy and infrastructure, all of which are foreseen to energise regional and international development partnerships in light of global efforts to ensure sustainable growth.
During his meeting with Abrahao Pio dos Santos, Minister of Economy of Angola, the UAE’s minister of economy emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation in agriculture and food industries in line with the UAE’s prioritisation of food security, taking into consideration Angola’s extensive natural resources.
The Angolan Minister outlined local investment incentives in various sectors, most notably agriculture, mining, diamonds, and precious stones. He also pointed out his government’s commitment to overcoming all investment obstacles and providing facilities that can boost the presence of UAE investors in the Angolan market.
The UAE Minister of Economy also held bilateral meetings with the Republic of Mali’s Minister of Investment Promotion and Private Sector; the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Sri Lanka; the Head of the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of El Salvador; Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD; and Nael Al Kabariti, President of the Union of Arab Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.