(Abu Dhabi) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation hosted today the preparatory meeting of the ninth UAE-Russia Joint Committee.
The meeting was headed by Maadhad Hareb Jaber Alkhyeli, UAE Ambassador to the Russian Federation, and Maxim Sidelnikov, Deputy Director of the Department of Bilateral Relations Development in the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia.
At the start of the meeting, Alkhyeli conveyed the greetings of the UAE’s leadership and people to the Russian Federation while affirming the UAE’s keenness to strengthen strategic cooperation in a variety of areas. Alkhyeli underlined the significant advancement of bilateral relations since their establishment in 1971, noting various forms of exchange on the political, economic, and cultural fronts.
On economic relations, Alkhyeli remarked, “The volume of mutual trade between the two countries has grown significantly in recent years, with the Russian Federation ranked first among the UAE’s trading partners in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the UAE maintaining its position as Russia’s primary trade partner in the Arabian Gulf in 2018.”
The UAE delegation also underscored joint efforts to promote investment between the two countries in the fields of traditional and renewable energy, infrastructure, basic minerals, construction, and food security. Alkhyeli noted the importance of fostering coordination between civil aviation authorities in both countries to facilitate tourism, trade and economic growth.
Alkhyeli called upon the sub-committees convened during the preparatory meeting to exert all possible efforts to identify and pursue additional means of cooperation in advance of the visit of President Vladimir Putin to the UAE.
For his part, Sidelnikov thanked the leadership of the UAE for convening the Committee meeting with the aim of further developing interregional cooperation.
Officials concluded the meeting by reviewing several memoranda of understanding and agreeing to hold the tenth meeting of the Committee in Russia.
