UAE hosts 9th preparatory joint committee meeting with Russia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation hosted on Sunday 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.

The visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the UAE this Tuesday translates the privileged and steadily growing strategic relations between the two countries, said Maadhad Hareb Al Khaili.

“The visit will contribute to further consolidating the current strategic partnership between the two sides,” the diplomat told the Emirates News Agency, noting that the Joint UAE-Russia Committee plays a significant role in accelerating trade relations and growing the volume of imports and exports between the two nations.

He expressed satisfaction with the current level of investments between the two countries through their joint Investment Fund, highlighting the recent mutual visa waiver agreement as a fresh step forward on the path toward increasing Russian tourist arrivals in the UAE.

Over 900,000 Russian tourists visited the UAE last year, and there is a growing number of Emiratis already visiting several Russian cities, including Moscow, Sochi, and St. Petersburg.

The ambassador cited the recent space mission by the Emirati first astronaut Hazza Al Mansoori to the International Space Station, where he stayed eight days, as a prime example of the growing cooperation between the two countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Saturday hosted the ninth Joint UAE-Russia Committee. The meeting was headed by the UAE Ambassador, and Maxim Sidelnikov, Deputy Director of the Department of Bilateral Relations Development at the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia.

Russia is looking to increase its agricultural exports to the UAE, in a bid to take advantage of the UAE’s highly receptive and rapidly growing market for food products, say Emirati and Russian trade officials.

Over the past few years, Russia has made several steps towards enhancing its business presence in the UAE in this sector and others with the opening of a Trade Representative office at the Russian Embassy in Abu Dhabi in 2017, and the inauguration of the Russian Food House, RFH, in Dubai in 2019.

Speaking to WAM on how the UAE can benefit from Russian food exports, Omar Khan, Director of International Offices at the Dubai Chamber said, “Home to a booming agriculture sector, Russia is actively pursuing efforts to boost its food exports to the Middle East and Asia.”

“The UAE stands to benefit from this trend as it remains the preferred re-export hub for Russian products and commodities in the region, providing exporters with access to around two billion consumers in surrounding markets,” he added.

WAM