UAE, Russia advancing bilateral relations

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sunday chaired the 7th edition of the joint UAE-Russia Committee that convened in the UAE capital in the presence of the Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov.

"The meeting reflects the keenness of the two nations to advance bilateral relations to a higher level of distinction," said H.H. Sheikh Abdullah in his speech before the meeting, noting that the privileged ties between the two countries have gained further ground over the past period by signing a large number of agreements across multiple domains, including politics, economy, culture and security.

"The continued exchange of visits by the two countries' leaders have significantly contributed to promoting cooperation, he said, pointing in this regard to the recent visit by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces to Russia, and his meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in April as well as to the UAE hosting of the Arab-Russia Dialogue by early next year.

He lauded the outcome reached during the committee meetings over the past period and the solutions forged to the challenges faced by the two nations to upscale bilateral relations to the aspired level.

Sheikh Abdullah witnessed the signing during the meeting of a bilateral industrial, technical and scientific cooperation agreement in addition to a memo of understanding between Jabel Ali Free Zone and the Russian Export Centre as well as another MoU in areas of tourism.

The meeting was attended by the UAE Ambassador to Russia Madhed Hareb Mughir Al Khaiili and Mohammed Sharaf Al Hashemi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Economic and Commercial Affair as well as Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the Group Chairman and CEO of DP World.

In the meantime, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah held a meeting with Minister Manturov where the two sides discussed best ways of boosting cooperation ties.

Sheikh Abdullah, in a joint statement after the meeting, said that since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations between the countries in 1972, the UAE and Russia have been steadily moving to strengthening cooperation across all domains. He expressed satisfaction with the growing number Russian tourist arrivals in the UAE over the past period, wishing further growth in the number of UAE tourists visiting Russia.

For his part, the Russian minister extended thanks to H.H. Sheikh Abdullah for his eminent role in pushing forward relations between the two countries, affirming that the UAE is one of Russia's major partners in the Middle East Region in light of the growing prospects of cooperation in areas of energy, industry, tourism and culture.

The UAE and the Russian Federation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support Russia's official bid to host the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit, GMIS, in conjunction with the UNIPROM International Industry Fair in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in July 2019. The request follows GMIS' successful inauguration in March 2017 in Abu Dhabi.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, GMIS is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Economy and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO.

Russia's bid to host the summit is the first of its kind at the state level.