UAE and Ukraine explore economic, investment cooperation prospects
- 12 Jun 2023
Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, who is leading a UAE delegation on an official visit to Ukraine, met with Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine. The meeting discussed ways to bolster the cooperation between the UAE and Ukraine in various sectors, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and ways to mitigate its effects.
The Ukrainian Prime Minister said that his country is looking forward to taking part in COP28, which the UAE is hosting later this year in Dubai Expo City, and asserted Ukraine’s confidence in the UAE’s ability to host an exceptional COP that would provide a collaboration platform for the international community and drive efforts to deliver on climate action commitments.
Present at the meeting were Sultan Mohammed Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Development Affairs; Salem Ahmed Al Kaabi, UAE Ambassador to Ukraine; Maksym Subkh, Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa; Rustem Umerov, Chairman of the Ukrainian State Property Fund; and Dmytro Senik, Ambassador of Ukraine to the UAE.
Prime Minister Shmayhal expressed his country’s appreciation for the UAE’s humanitarian efforts and its ongoing support for the Ukrainian people during the crisis and highlighted Ukraine’s commitment to the grain export agreement as part of its efforts to alleviate the global food crisis. He also underscored the UAE’s efforts to promote stability and peace.
Shmayhal said that Ukraine is keen to bolster its relations with the UAE across various sectors, and explore possible joint strategic projects, especially in economic and investment fields, in line with efforts to implement wide-scale infrastructure projects.
The Ukrainian Prime Minister invited the UAE to attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference, set to be held in London, to discuss future joint initiatives to rebuild Ukraine’s infrastructure.
For her part, Almheiri affirmed that the UAE is continuing its efforts to provide humanitarian and relief aid to the Ukrainian people, and implementing several investment and development projects, to drive economic growth in the two countries and expand their trade and investment cooperation in various strategic sectors.
During her visit, the UAE Minister of Climate Change and the Environment met with Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy. The two sides discussed ways of boosting UAE-Ukraine trade and investment cooperation in the fields of energy, infrastructure, agriculture and healthcare to create new opportunities that help boost trade exchange and investment and support the ongoing negotiations towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between their countries.
The meeting saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Contango, an ADQ partner, and the Ukrainian State Property Fund. Tansel K., CEO of Contango, and Rustem Umerov, Chairman of Ukraine’s State Property Fund, signed the MoU in the presence of Oleksandr Gryban, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine.
During her meeting with Svyrydenko, Almheiri underscored the strong ties the UAE and Ukraine share, and their keenness to enhance their cooperation in various fields. She called for boosting joint work to leverage the economic resources and investment opportunities in driving sustainable development in both countries.
The UAE minister also met with Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and highlighted the deep-rooted friendship between their countries and the importance of expanding it across various fields to benefit their peoples.
As part of its official visit, Almheiri led the UAE delegation on a visit to the Centre for the Protection of Children’s Rights in Kiev, and reviewed the centre’s initiatives aimed at protecting children from abuse and exploitation, as well as its projects to promote providing children with education and healthcare services.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, accompanied the UAE delegation during their visit to the centre.
In 2021, non-oil trade between the UAE and Ukraine reached $904.4 million, a 28.4 per cent increase over the same period in 2020 and 12.2 per cent more than 2019. UAE investment in Ukraine reached nearly $243.3 million in 2021, with Ukrainian investment flows into the UAE totalling $84 million in 2020.
Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri said recently that the UAE is working to implement the highest standards of global food safety as a top priority in meeting the objectives of the National Food Security Strategy and ensuring the health and wellbeing of all residents.
In statements marking the World Food Safety Day, the minister added, “Food safety is a main pillar of our strategy to achieve national food security. The Ministry has outlined its vision for the future, with the goal of implementing several policies, laws, and regulations in collaboration with diverse stakeholders in the UAE to guarantee that all food products across the entire food value chain in comply with the regulations, to ensure the safety and well-being of the society.”
