How did Bin Zayed’s visit to France affect the strong relationship between the two countries?
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday.
The two leaders discussed the long-term strategic partnership between the UAE and France and explored opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation across different sectors, the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
Common Areas of Work
According to Arab News, the French president welcomed his UAE counterpart to the Elysee Palace and expressed his pleasure at meeting them again in France. Sheikh Mohamed extended his compliments and thanked Macron for the warm welcome.
Sheikh Mohamed and the French President affirmed their deep commitment to continuing to strengthen the historical relations between the two countries and discussed ways to enhance cooperation in priority areas, including culture, environment, climate change, space, and renewable energy. They agreed that taking cooperative measures to address climate change is an immediate priority for both countries, and the talks also touched on other key areas for the two countries’ sustainable development aspirations, including investment, economy, food security, and advanced technology.
The two presidents discussed regional and international developments, and the two sides stressed the importance of promoting peace, stability, and cooperation among countries. Sheikh Mohamed and President Macron also spoke about the upcoming COP28 climate summit, to be hosted by the UAE later this year. The two leaders reiterated their common belief in the importance and potential of joint action and stated that cooperative measures to address climate change are an immediate priority for both countries.
Historical relations
French media also highlighted Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed’s visit to France and the importance of strengthening relations between the two countries, especially after the UAE became a pivotal state of strategic importance in the Middle East and the Arab Gulf.
The summit comes within the framework of historical relations that are characterized by their comprehensiveness and depth, based on a vision and firm fundamentals dating back decades, and characterized by their interest in the sustainability of the development of cooperation, AFP reported.
The accelerated pace of the strategic partnership and the opportunities it provides has seen an increase in trade growth between the UAE and France, which increased by 16.8% last year and reached 29.44 billion dirhams. In 2021, French investment in local financial markets increased, registering a turnover of 726.2 million dirhams. The UAE hosts the largest number of French companies operating in the Middle East and also operates Emirates Airlines. Etihad operates 42 flights a week to France, representing a real change in the energy sector and taking advantage of low-carbon development opportunities through climate action and emissions-intensive partnerships, as well as a very important aspect of future cooperation.
