UAE and Malaysian businesses were called upon to enhance their strategic alliances at the Malaysia Services Exhibition (MSE) 2009 running from March 17 to 19 at the Dubai Airport Expo Exhibition Centre.

The call came from UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi during a speech she delivered yesterday (March 17) at the event.

“During these difficult times, it is imperative for the business community to strengthen their strategic alliances and work together in identifying all avenues to enhance business collaborations,” said Sheikha Lubna.

“We should look at adversity as the driver of creativity and focus our energies to look beyond the threats of the global economic slowdown and to identify the opportunities for growth and innovation,” she added.

“The UAE business community has a deep-rooted confidence in Malaysian companies and a strong anticipation for conducting new partnerships,” she noted.

“Our nation is an ideal springboard for establishing business ties within the region. This is due to our strategic location, our long trading tradition, and our well-developed infrastructure and support services.”

She acknowledged the presence of more than 70 Malaysian companies operating successfully in the UAE, mostly involved in trading, construction and architecture.

MSE 2009 follows the enormous success of MSE 2008 in Sharjah and is the second in a series of service exhibitions organized by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, the national trade promotion agency of Malaysia.

Trade between the UAE and Malaysia rose 44 per cent to Dh20.85 billion in 2008, boosted mainly by Malaysian imports of petroleum products.

Malaysia exports to the UAE grew 24 per cent to Dh12.55 billion in the same year, while its imports increased by around 89 per cent to Dh8.39 billion, making the Emirates its top exporter for the period. – TradeArabia News Service