ABU DHABI, 16 December 2013 (WAM) – Foreign Minister H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended on Monday the second reception of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), held under the theme “Diplomacy in support of economic cooperation.
Present at the reception were Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Development and International Co-operation, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy, Obaid bin Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, representatives of the ministry’s partners, members of the business community, ambassadors of Arab and foreign countries, and representatives of foreign companies.
In his speech, Sheikh Abdullah said the event comes one year after the debut reception for the ministry.
"We meet today after an eventful year that saw huge developments in the UAE, inspired by the principles laid by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and maintained by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. We also meet after just celebrating two major events; the 42nd National Day anniversary and the UAE, represented by Dubai, winning the bid to host EXPO 2020," he added.
Sheikh Abdullah underlined the achievements made by the UAE this year, including ranking world’s 33rd in the Ease Of Doing Business survey by the World Bank. In the Global Competitiveness Report for 2013-2014, the UAE advanced five positions in the total competitiveness of its economy in one year, from 24th last year to the 19th this year.
On the federal government’s strategy to boost national economy, Sheikh Abdullah said the economic sector at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had adopted plans to support the country’s investments abroad and to explore investment opportunities in emerging markets.
"The UAE seeks to enhance its economic competitiveness by diversifying its resources and by building a knowledge-based economy, driven by Research ‘&’ Development to make the UAE a hub for smart economy in the region." Sheikh Abdullah said bilateral agreements constituted key part of the ministry’s operations. He referred to the close cooperation the ministry has with strategic partners, including Ministries of Finance, Economy, Development ‘&’ International Cooperation, as well as other federal and local entities such as the General Civil Aviation Authority, the Central Bank, Federal Customs Authority and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
He added that the UAE, through the MoFA and other authorities, is keen to develop legislative framework to guarantee that its balanced economic growth is in line with the international conventions and laws, including Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
"UAE’s foreign policy is founded on a set of values and principles laid by the founding fathers and nurtured by our leadership. This is clearly manifested in the UAE’s support for the approach of peaceful settlement of all conflicts. There is no doubt that political stability, economic growth and balanced foreign policy are key incentives for the world’s leading businesses to establish their regional centres in the UAE." Sheikh Abdullah also said the government attaches great importance to national companies with investments abroad. He added that the country’s active diplomacy helped achieve significant progress in addressing issues like dumping, high customs fairs on UAE products, taxes, restrictions on profits and capitals transfer and on national carriers flights.
Sheikh Abdullah said the UAE was supporting the Egyptian government’s efforts to support its economy and to facilitate investment there. He pointed out that the recent GCC-Egyptian investment forum in Cairo, co-hosted by the UAE and Egypt, had achieved a positive outcome in attracting more GCC investments in Egypt. He thanked Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber for his role in forum’s success.
Sheikh Abdullah said the exemption of the UAE citizens from the visa requirement to the United Kingdom was a fruit of the MoFA’s efforts to ease movement of the UAE nationals. He also referred to the efforts being made to secure exemption for the UAE citizens traveling to the Schengen countries, adding that such a step would help strengthen ties between the UAE and the European Union.
Sheikh Abdullah said Dubai’s winning the bid to host EXPO 2020 after a stiff and transparent competition with leading cities, was a result of world’s confidence in the UAE and its competitive economy.
"The winning of EXPO 2020 bid is a great incentive to major companies in the world to use the UAE as a launch-pad for their businesses," he added.
Sheikh Abdullah revealed that the UAE ambassadors were directed to ease all obstacles that could face investors willing to open businesses in the UAE. He also urged partners from the private sector to explore investment opportunities in emerging economies, especially in Africa, South America, Caribbean and East Asian countries.
"The coming years are very important to us in maintaining our national achievements and in expanding the role played by the foreign, economic and investment policies in the global economy," he said.
Sheikh Abdullah urged a teamwork spirit among all the concerned in a way that will serve UAE’s national economy.
"The ministry of foreign affairs will continue to provide support to our economic partners," he said.
WAM/MAB
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